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