Mitral Valve Disease

Mitral valve disease includes conditions that affect the mitral valve—one of the heart’s four valves responsible for regulating blood flow between the left atrium (which receives blood from the lungs) and left ventricle (which pumps blood to the body). The mitral valve has two leaflets that open and close with each heartbeat to ensure blood flows in the right direction. When the valve does not function properly, it can lead to serious health issues. 

Types of Mitral Valve Disease

There are two main types of mitral valve disease:

Mitral valve regurgitation (MR) occurs when the mitral valve becomes weakened and cannot fully close. When the mitral valve cannot fully close, blood is able to flow backwards into the heart’s left atrium and to back up into the lungs causing shortness of breath and reduced exercise capacity. Mitral valve regurgitation forces the heart to work harder to make up for deficit of blood.

Mitral stenosis (MS) is the narrowing of the mitral valve, typically due to changes after rheumatic fever or valvecalcification. Mitral stenosis prevents the mitral valve from opening properly, to allow blood flow from the left atrium to the left ventricle, causing higher pressures in the lungs.

Treatments for Mitral Valve Disease

At the William Acquavella Heart Valve Center, our team offers the latest minimally invasive / transcatheter procedures to treat and manage mitral valve disease. Our team is also actively involved in research and clinical trials to develop new less invasive techniques to reduce recovery time and improve outcomes.

Transcatheter Mitral Valve Therapies: These innovative therapies are catheter-based techniques, where a thin, flexible tube is guided through a vein in the groin to deliver specialized devices directly to the mitral valve—without the need for open-heart surgery. Typically, they result in shorter recovery times, less discomfort, and fewer risks compared to open-heart surgery—helping patients return to daily life more quickly.

Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Repair (TEER): TEER is used to treat mitral valve regurgitation. It works by clipping the valve leaflets together to reduce leakage and improve blood flow. 

Transcatheter Mitral Valve Replacement (TMVR): TMVR is used when the mitral valve is too damaged to repair. A new valve is delivered through the catheter and placed inside the existing valve to restore proper function.

Surgery: In some cases, traditional open-heart or innovative robotic heart surgery is necessary. The surgeons at Weill Cornell Cardiothoracic Surgery are skilled in a multitude of mitral valve techniques with exceptional outcomes. For more information about surgery options, please visit Mitral Valve Repair and Replacement | Cardiothoracic Surgery.