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.…

The MitraClip procedure represents a cutting edge way to fix a leaky mitral valve.  For a broad overview of the procedure and the type of patients who need it, see our article The MitraClip – Treatment for a Leaky Heart Valve.  The following article is meant for all levels of those wishing to learn about the…

By Mustafa Ahmed MD and David McGiffin MD   What is Mitral Valve Repair Surgery? When the mitral valve is severely diseased it can lead to heart failure and associated symptoms such as shortness of breath and fatigue as well as heart enlargement. The most common diseases are a leaky mitral valve known as mitral regurgitation…