Heart Valve Surgery

Types

Many factors help determine the appropriate surgery to treat heart valve disease, including a patient's age and general health, the extent of damage to the valves, the type of valve, and the patient's preference. Many of these procedures can be done using minimally invasive heart surgery.

Surgery for Heart Valve Repair or Replacement

Stenosis (valve narrowing) may be corrected by cutting, separating or reconstructing the valve leaflets, or other valve components, to widen the valve opening. Most patients with stenosed valves require valve replacement.

Regurgitation (valve leakage) may be corrected by replacing or shortening the supporting valve structures to allow the valve to close tightly, or by inserting a prosthetic ring to reshape a deformed valve. Valve flaps (leaflets) may also be modified to stop blood from flowing backwards.

Annuloplasty

Annuloplasty is one type of heart valve surgery.

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Annuloplasty describes surgical techniques performed on the valve's annulus, the ring of tissue that supports the valve leaflets. Purse-string sutures are sewn around the ring to make the opening smaller which helps the leaflets meet again when the valve closes. Sometimes when repairing the annulus, it is necessary to implant an annuloplasty ring where the leaflets meet the fibrous annulus to downsize an abnormally enlarged valve opening so the leaflets can come together properly.

Repair of structural support

Repair of structural support replaces or shortens the cords that support the valves (chordae tendineae and papillary muscles). When the cords and muscles are the right length, the valve leaflet edges meet and eliminate the leak.

Valve repair (Valvuloplasty)

Valvuloplasty is one type of heart valve surgery.

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Valve repair may be done when a valve leaflet is floppy and prolapses. The procedure involves surgically separating, cutting out a section, or pleating a valve leaflet.

Valve replacement

Valve replacement involves removal of the defective valve and replacing it with an artificial (prosthetic) valve by sewing it to the annulus of the natural valve. Approximately 95 percent of all valve replacements are performed for mitral or aortic valves.