Heart valve repair surgery
Valve repair allows the surgeon to fix your faulty heart valve, often without
the use of artificial parts. The advantages of heart valve repair are:
• lower risk of infection
• decreased need for life-long blood thinner medication
• preserved heart muscle strength
The mitral valve is the most commonly repaired valve, but the aortic and
tricuspid valves may also undergo some of these repair techniques.

• Commissurotomy Fused valve leaflets are separated to widen the valve opening.
See illustrations to the right.
• Decalcification Calcium deposits are cleaned off the valve leaflets, allowing them to be more
flexible and close properly.
• Triangular resection If a portion of the mitral valve leaflet is flail
(floppy), and bows back into the left atrium, a segment may be cut out and the
leaflet sewn back together, allowing the valve to close more tightly.
• Triangular Resection Mitral Valve Repair If a portion of the mitral valve
leaflet is flail (floppy), and bows back into the left atrium, a segment may be
cut out and the leaflet sewn back together, allowing the valve to close more
tightly.
• Triangular Resection Mitral Valve Repair

|