Valvuloplasty For Mitral Valve Stenosis

Treatment Overview

Valvuloplasty is a treatment for mitral valve stenosis. It is a procedure that widens the mitral valve so that blood flows more easily through the heart. It's also called a balloon commissurotomy or valvotomy.

It's a minimally invasive procedure. You may get medicine that relaxes you or puts you in a light sleep. You won't feel pain when the catheter is put in the blood vessel. A doctor uses a thin flexible tube (catheter) that is inserted through an artery in the groin and threaded into the heart.

When the tube reaches the narrowed mitral valve, a balloon device located on the tip of the catheter is quickly inflated. The narrowed or fused mitral valve leaflets are separated and stretched open as the balloon presses against them. This process increases the size of the mitral valve opening. And it allows more blood to flow from the left atrium into the left ventricle.