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The team at Lehigh Valley Heart and Vascular Institute has the experience and leading-edge technology to diagnose and treat mitral valve stenosis. Through the Lehigh Valley Heart and Vascular Institute’s Structural Heart Disease Program, we have the ability to handle the toughest and most complex heart problems.
When the mitral valve in your heart stiffens or narrows, it creates a condition called mitral stenosis, where the blood flow to the heart’s main pumping chamber, the left ventricle, is reduced. In turn, that reduces the amount of oxygen bringing blood from the lungs. As a result, you may feel tired and experience shortness of breath.
Other symptoms include:
- Heart murmur
- Lung congestion
- Irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmias)
- Pulmonary hypertension
- Blood clots
Mitral valve stenosis can be caused by several factors, including rheumatic fever, lupus and other conditions, along with congenital heart defects and mitral valve prolapse, where the valve’s two flaps don’t close evenly.
Left untreated, mitral valve stenosis can lead to complications including heart failure and atrial fibrillation (AFib).
Treatments for mitral valve stenosis
If you are diagnosed with mitral valve stenosis, you may need surgery. Types of surgeries offered by Lehigh Valley Heart and Vascular Institute include:
Balloon valvuloplasty: To treat narrowed valves, or valve stenosis, your doctor threads a catheter with a balloon on its tip through a blood vessel. The balloon inflates to stretch the valve opening and deflates for removal from the blood vessel.
Mitral valve repair: Surgery using traditional surgical tools to make repairs to the valve itself.
Mitral valve replacement: The diseased valve can be replaced with a mechanical or tissue valve.