Valvular heart disease encompasses stenosis (narrowing) and regurgitation (leakage) of the four cardiac valves. It alters the pressure and volume loads on the heart, and if untreated can progress to heart failure, arrhythmia, and death. Modern management pairs precise imaging-based diagnosis with an expanding menu of surgical and transcatheter treatments.
Pathophysiology
Stenosis obstructs forward flow, imposing a pressure load that drives ventricular hypertrophy; regurgitation imposes a volume load leading to chamber dilation. Etiologies include degenerative calcification, rheumatic disease, congenital abnormalities, endocarditis, and functional changes secondary to ventricular remodeling.
Diagnosis
Echocardiography is the cornerstone, quantifying severity, mechanism, and ventricular consequences. Transesophageal echocardiography, cardiac CT, and MRI refine anatomy and procedural planning, while stress testing and catheterization clarify symptom status and hemodynamics in selected patients.
Treatment approaches
- Surgical repair is preferred where feasible, particularly for the mitral valve, preserving the native valve.
- Surgical replacement with mechanical or bioprosthetic valves addresses disease not amenable to repair.
- Transcatheter therapies treat selected patients less suited to surgery, expanding options for aortic and mitral disease.
The heart-team model
Contemporary guidelines emphasize a multidisciplinary heart team — surgeons, interventional and imaging cardiologists — to match the intervention and its timing to each patient's anatomy, symptoms, and risk. Timing of intervention before irreversible ventricular damage is a central theme of modern valve care.
INVAMED technologies in this space
INVAMED manufactures cardiac surgery instrumentation supporting valve procedures; explore the cardiac surgery instruments category.
Device availability and approved indications vary by country. This content is prepared for healthcare professionals and does not replace clinical judgment or the instructions for use.