The incidence of mitral valve disease (MVD) is growing as the overall population ages. Mitral valve disease describes the condition when the mitral valve doesn’t work properly, allowing blood to flow back into the left atrium. When this occurs, the heart doesn’t pump enough blood out of the left ventricle to supply the body with oxygen-rich blood. Patients with the condition frequently don’t exhibit any symptoms, while others experience the classic symptoms of heart failure—fatigue, shortness of breath, lightheadedness, weight gain due to fluid retention, increased heart rate and more.

There are three types of MVD: mitral valve stenosis, mitral valve prolapse and mitral valve regurgitation. Stenosis, the narrowing of the valve opening, usually results from scarring from rheumatic fever. Prolapse occurs when the mitral valve flaps or leaflets bulge out instead of closing tightly, which could lead to the third type of MVD—regurgitation—when blood leaks from the valve and flows backward into the left atrium. A variety of heart problems, such as endocarditis, heart attack and rheumatic fever, can cause regurgitation.

The multidisciplinary team of specialists in the Structural Heart Disease Program and the Valve Disorders Center  includes interventional cardiologists and cardiac surgeons, imaging specialists, cardiac nurses, and others who are highly trained in percutaneous and open interventions as well as non-surgical medical management to address mitral valve disease.

The team uses advanced imaging, such as echocardiogram, transesophageal echocardiogram, cardiac catheterization and cardiac MRI, to diagnose MVD. If surgical intervention is recommended, many options are available.

Percutaneous interventions include:

  • MitraClip®
  • Transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVR)
  • Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Repair
  • Transcatheter mitral valve-in-valve replacement
  • Percutaneous mitral balloon valvuloplasty (PMBV)

Open surgical procedures include:

  • Mitral valve replacement using traditional open-heart surgery techniques

The clinical team will design the best treatment option for your patient with mitral valve disease based on the condition of his or her mitral valve. If surgical intervention is recommended, the team follows the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association guidelines that recommend mitral valve repair first, then mitral valve replacement if repair isn’t the best option.

If you’ve detected a heart murmur in your patient, or if your patient exhibits the classic symptoms of heart failure, referring your patient to the Structural Heart Disease Program and the Valve Disorders Center at Baylor Scott & White The Heart Hospital – Fort Worth will provide him or her the experience and insight from a high-volume treatment center with specialty trained and experienced specialists practicing in a dedicated program.

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