A valvuloplasty may be used to treat stenosis (narrowing) of the mitral valve. To understand this procedure, it is helpful to know how the heart works.
The heart is a pump that contains four chambers. The two upper chambers are called the right and left atrium. The two larger chambers are called the right and left ventricles. The heart has four major valves that allow blood to flow in only one direction. The aortic and pulmonary valves control the flow of blood out of the ventricles. The mitral and tricuspid valves control the flow of blood from the atria to the ventricles.
During valvuloplasty, a thin catheter (tube) with a balloon tip is used to stretch or open the mitral valve. The catheter is threaded to the heart from the blood vessels in the groin. The catheter placement is guided by X-ray. The procedure which is done in the Cardiac Cath (catheterization) Lab takes one to two hours and requires an overnight hospital stay.
Before a mitral valvuloplasty, you will need certain tests. This includes a transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiogram. The test uses high-frequency sound waves (ultrasounds) to look at how the various parts of the heart work. The resulting images show the size, shape and movement of the valves and the extent of the mitral valve disease.
If you need a mitral valvuloplasty, a diagnostic cardiac catheterization is done at the same time as the valvuloplasty.
Percutaneous Mitral Valvuloplasty
Percutaneous Mitral Valvuloplasty
Before the treatment
Day of the treatment
After the treatment
Review Date: 12/04
