Our Advanced Care Options for a Leaky Mitral Valve
Mitral regurgitation is a condition in which the heart’s mitral valve doesn’t fully close. When your mitral valve isn’t closing properly, some of the blood your heart is supposed to pump gets pushed back into the back chamber of the heart and into the lungs. Your heart can’t work as efficiently as it should, which can cause your heart to pump harder and fluid to build up in your lungs. Mitral regurgitation is the most common type of valvular heart disease. Without treatment, mitral regurgitation can lead to heart failure.
If you have mitral regurgitation (also known as mitral valve regurgitation), you need total care from a team with expertise in this type of heart valve disease. Healthgrades® has named us one of America’s 50 Best Hospitals for Cardiac Surgery™ since 2019. No other hospital in Missouri has achieved this in 2024. And we’re among the top 5% of hospitals nationwide for cardiac surgery due to our superior outcomes in heart valve surgery.
Our doctors offer early detection and treatment of mitral regurgitation. Our heart valve specialists are highly regarded as leaders in minimally invasive procedures to treat concerns like mitral regurgitation.
Our Mitral Regurgitation Diagnostic and Treatment Options
If your referring provider suspects that you may have mitral regurgitation, we’ll start with a physical exam and ask you questions about your symptoms. We’ll listen to your heart and lungs. If we hear a murmur (a whooshing sound), that may be a sign of mitral regurgitation.
Next, your doctor will use some or all of the following tests to determine for sure whether your heart murmur is the result of mitral regurgitation:
- Cardiac catheterization (a test in which we use a thin, flexible tube called a catheter to inject dye into the heart’s arteries to make them show up better during an X-ray)
- Cardiac MRI (magnetic resonance imaging, a test that lets us view detailed images of the heart)
- Chest X-ray
- Echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart)
- Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG, a test to view the heart’s rhythm and determine whether that rhythm is irregular)
- Exercise tests and/or stress tests (to let us see how your heart reacts to physical activity)
If we find that you do have mitral regurgitation, we’ll work with you to create a customized treatment plan based on your unique needs. Your treatment plan may include:
- Regular monitoring
- Medication therapy
- Mitral valve repair (a minimally invasive or open-heart procedure to patch or tighten a leaky mitral valve), such as MitraClip
- Mitral valve replacement (an open-heart procedure to replace a leaky mitral valve)
Mitral Regurgitation Signs and Symptoms
If you have mitral regurgitation, your symptoms may include:
- Fatigue
- Heart palpitations
- Lightheadedness
- Shortness of breath
- Swollen ankles or feet
- Trouble lying flat to sleep
If you experience any of these symptoms, talk to your doctor right away. It’s not uncommon for people with valve disease to adjust their lifestyle to make up for their symptoms, but you don’t have to live that way. We can provide you with the correct diagnosis and create the proper treatment plan.