TMVR – Transcatheter Mitral Valve Replacement TMVR, also known as transcatheter mitral valve replacement is a way of replacing the mitral valve in the heart without the need for conventional open-heart surgery. TMVR transcatheter mitral valve replacement is a treatment for mitral valve stenosis (tight mitral valve) or mitral valve regurgitation (leaky mitral valve) or…

What is Robotic Heart Surgery? Robotic heart surgery has revolutionized the way we think of heart operations. When you think of heart surgery, a large scar down the entire front of the chest comes to mind. With robotic heart surgery, complex problems can often be fixed with precision, through small holes on the chest wall,…

Double Balloon Mitral Valvuloplasty for Mitral Stenosis One of the techniques used for mitral valvuloplasty for severe mitral stenosis is the double balloon mitral valvuloplasty technique. This is much less commonly used as compared to the Inoue balloon mitral valvuloplasty technique with reasons including complexity limiting it to experienced operators. However, there is a renewed…

What is Aortic Regurgitation (Aortic Insufficiency)? Aortic regurgitation is the medical term for a leaky aortic valve. It is also known as aortic insufficiency or aortic valve incompetence and is a form of structural heart disease. In this article I will uses the terms aortic regurgitation and aortic insufficiency interchangeably. In severe aortic insufficiency the severe leak…

What is Mitral Stenosis? Mitral stenosis is the medical term for a tight mitral valve. It is a form of structural heart disease. The mitral valve is the valve that sits between the upper chamber (left atrium) and lower chamber (left ventricle) of the left side of the heart, which is considered the main pumping…

What is Aortic Stenosis Aortic stenosis is the medical term used for a tight aortic valve. The aortic valve is the valve through which blood leaves the heart. A tight valve means greater stress on the heart and less blood to the body.  The body needs blood to survive and the heart is responsible for…

What is Paravalvular Leak? Paravalvular leak is a leak around a valve replacement. A form of leaky heart valve. When someone has valve replacement surgery they have a new valve put in place. This valve is usually put in place with no gaps between the edges of the valve or the surrounding natural heart tissue.…