<unk>  is a cardiac surgery procedure performed by cardiac surgeons to treat stenosis (narrowing) or regurgitation (leakage) of the mitral<unk> . The mitral<unk>  is the "inflow<unk> " for the left side of the heart. Blood flows from the lungs, where it picks up oxygen, through the pulmonary veins, to the left atrium of the heart. After the left atrium fills with blood, the mitral<unk>  allows blood to flow from the left atrium into the heart's main pumping chamber called the left ventricle. It then closes to keep blood from leaking back into the left atrium or lungs when the ventricle contracts (squeezes) to push blood out to the body. It has two flaps, or leaflets, known as cusps. The techniques of<unk>  include inserting a cloth-covered ring around the<unk>  to bring the leaflets into contact with each other (annuloplasty), removal of redundant/loose segments of the leaflets (quadrangular resection), and re-suspension of the leaflets with artificial (Gore-Tex) cords. Procedures on the mitral<unk>  usually require a median sternotomy, but advances in non-invasive methods (such as keyhole surgery) allow surgery without a sternotomy (and resulting pain and scar). Minimally invasive mitral<unk>  surgery is much more technically demanding and may involve higher risk. Occasionally, the mitral<unk>  is abnormal from birth (congenital). More often the mitral<unk>  becomes abnormal with age (degenerative) or as a result of rheumatic fever. In rare instances the mitral<unk>  can be destroyed by infection or a bacterial endocarditis. Mitral regurgitation may also occur as a result of ischemic heart disease (coronary artery disease) or non-ischemic heart disease (dilated cardiomyopathy).
Mitral valve repair
Aortic valve repair
Mitral valve annuloplasty
Mitral valve replacement
Aortic valvuloplasty
Heart valve repair
Percutaneous pulmonary valve implantation
Percutaneous aortic valve replacement