Mitral Valve Repair
Definition
Mitral valve repair is a surgical procedure used to improve the function of a stenotic (narrowed), prolapsed, or insufficient mitral valve of the heart.
Purpose
The mitral valve can become diseased, preventing it from adequately controlling the direction of the blood flow between the left atrium and left ventricle. It also can become insufficient (regurgitant), letting blood flow backwards into the left atrium (upper chamber) from the left ventricle (lower chamber) during ventricular contraction (systole). The mitral valve also can become stenotic (narrowed), preventing the flow of blood from the left atrium into the left ventricle during ventricular filling (diastole). In mitral valve prolapse, one or more of the mitral valve's cusps protrude back into the left atrium during...
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