| Blood travels through your heart's four chambers | | | | palpitations or arrhythmia. |
| before being recirculated throughout your body. It | | | | Overview Of Balloon Valvotomy |
| arrives in your right atrium (upper chamber) from | | | | If mitral valve repair is not an option, a doctor can |
| your inferior and superior vena cavae. It moves from | | | | perform balloon valvotomy. This is done through |
| the right atrium into the right ventricle (lower | | | | catheterization. Your doctor will insert a catheter into |
| chamber) through the tricuspid valve. From there, | | | | a vein near your groin. The catheter is then guided |
| blood travels through the pulmonary valve into your | | | | toward your heart and into the right atrium. A hole is |
| pulmonary arteries before being sent to your left | | | | created between your right and left atria through |
| atrium. The valve between your left atrium and | | | | which the catheter is threaded. |
| ventricle is called the mitral valve (MV). | | | | The device is equipped with a balloon on its tip. The |
| If the MV becomes stenotic, blood flow from your | | | | doctor will position the balloon within the stenotic |
| left atrium into your left ventricle will be hampered. | | | | mitral valve, and inflate it in order to widen the |
| Resolving the issue usually requires some form of | | | | opening. Once the opening between the leaflets has |
| mitral valve repair. | | | | been sufficiently widened, the balloon is deflated and |
| In this article, we'll explain the nature of mitral | | | | the catheter is removed. The entire procedure usually |
| stenosis (MS), including symptoms that typically | | | | requires less than an hour. |
| accompany the condition. We'll then describe a | | | | Postoperative Recovery |
| non-surgical procedure called balloon valvotomy that | | | | Because the procedure is minimally invasive, |
| can be used to cure stenosis. | | | | postoperative recovery only lasts several hours (in |
| Mitral Stenosis Defined | | | | contrast to days for surgical mitral valve repair). Most |
| The valves that separate the four chambers of your | | | | doctors will recommend that you stay in the hospital |
| heart have leaflets. These leaflets open and close to | | | | overnight so they can observe your recovery and |
| allow blood to flow through them. Stenosis is a | | | | respond to problems. |
| condition in which the opening created by the leaflets | | | | Doctors typically prefer to order an echocardiogram |
| is too narrow. It is restricted. The narrowed opening | | | | the day following the procedure. That allows them to |
| limits the amount of blood that can flow through. | | | | study the mitral valve and make certain the balloon |
| Common symptoms of MS include fatigue, dizziness, | | | | valvotomy was effective. When your doctor is |
| and difficulty taking deep breaths. This is due to | | | | confident that blood flow between your left atrium |
| blood becoming trapped within the left atrium, | | | | and left ventricle is sufficient, you will be released |
| creating a backflow into the lungs. Meanwhile, less | | | | from the hospital. You should be able to immediately |
| blood is available to circulate throughout your body. In | | | | resume your normal daily activities unless your |
| severe cases of MS, you might experience heart | | | | physician instructs otherwise. |