Heart valve surgery

The valves located at the inlet and outlet of the ventricles, which ensure that blood flows in one direction, are called heart valves. Valve disorders fall into two groups: regurgitation (insufficiency) and stenosis (narrowing). Sometimes the same valve can have both stenosis and regurgitation. Stenosis or regurgitation of one or more of the heart's 4 valves constitutes acquired heart valve disease.

Acquired heart valve diseases:

Mitral regurgitation or stenosis

Aortic valve regurgitation or stenosis

Tricuspid valve regurgitation or stenosis

Pulmonary valve regurgitation or stenosis

Causes:

rheumatic fever

collagen vascular diseases

endocarditis

papillary muscle dysfunction and rupture

Valve regurgitation causes blood to flow backward, while stenosis obstructs its outflow. As a result, pressure builds up and blood stagnates in the chamber before the valve, while the volume of blood beyond the valve decreases.

Valve disease usually presents with shortness of breath and fatigue on exertion. To confirm the diagnosis, echocardiography, cardiac catheterization and pressure measurements may be required.

Restoring valve function is the main goal of treatment; valvuloplasty, annuloplasty, commissurotomy, or replacement with a mechanical or biological valve may be performed. The choice of treatment depends on the course and nature of the disease. In acute and severe defects, surgery is the first choice.