Valvuloplasty

Medications and heart-healthy lifestyle habits may be all that are needed to reduce symptoms of valve disease and keep it from worsening. But some patients will need additional treatment.

Valvuloplasty is a non-surgical procedure that opens a heart valve that has been narrowed by stenosis, helping the heart efficiently pump blood to the body. The procedure is done through a catheter and uses a balloon to stretch the valve open. It can be a good option for people who cannot undergo valve replacement.

Before the procedure, you will receive a test called transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), in which doctors guide a slender tube equipped with an ultrasound device down the throat and to the esophagus to look for clots, which can cause a stroke. A catheter holding an expandable balloon is then guided from an artery in the leg to the heart and placed into the tightened valve. The balloon is expanded to stretch open the valve, thus helping to restore normal blood flow.

To learn more, please call 833-271-0338.

SOURCES: AMERICAN COLLEGE OF CARDIOLOGY; AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION; NATIONAL HEART, LUNG, AND BLOOD INSTITUTE; THE SOCIETY FOR CARDIOVASCULAR ANGIOGRAPHY AND INTERVENTIONS