Mitral Valve Regurgitation
Mitral Valve Regurgitation Care at UVM Health
As blood flows through the heart, heart valves open and close to keep blood moving in the right direction. Your mitral valve controls blood flow between the upper and lower chambers on the left side of the heart.
Mitral valve regurgitation (MVR) occurs when your mitral valve doesn’t close properly. As a result, blood leaks from your lower left heart chamber (ventricle) into your upper left heart chamber (atrium).
Why Choose UVM Health?
At University of Vermont Health, you receive personalized, expert treatment for mitral valve regurgitation. With our network of locations throughout northern New York and Vermont, you’re never far from the care you need.
As one of the leading heart and vascular programs in the region, we offer:
- Experienced physicians: Our structural heart physicians have vast experience and training in problems that affect your heart valves. We perform high volumes of advanced heart procedures, including minimally invasive procedures without open-heart surgery.
- Excellent outcomes: Our mitral heart team (cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons and heart failure specialists) tracks our patient outcomes in national registries which consistently meet — or exceed — national benchmarks.
Types of Mitral Valve Regurgitation
Doctors categorize mitral valve regurgitation into two types:
- Primary (degenerative) mitral valve regurgitation: Occurs when there is a physical problem with the mitral valve itself. For example, you may have mitral valve prolapse, a condition that causes the valve flaps to bulge into the upper heart chamber. Primary mitral valve regurgitation is treated by repairing or replacing the damaged mitral valve.
- Secondary (functional) mitral valve regurgitation: Occurs as the result of another condition. For example, a heart attack may cause your heart to swell and the mitral valve may have trouble closing fully. Treating secondary regurgitation requires first treating the underlying condition that caused it, before focusing on repairing the valve.
Symptoms of Mitral Valve Regurgitation
Mild mitral valve regurgitation may cause no symptoms. The condition is often progressive, so symptoms may get worse over time. More rarely, mitral valve regurgitation is acute, meaning your symptoms come on suddenly.
Symptoms of mitral valve regurgitation may include:
- Fatigue or decreased energy
- Decreased ability to exercise
- Irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia)
- Pounding or racing heartbeat (palpitations)
- Shortness of breath
- Heart murmur
- Swollen ankles or feet
Diagnosing Mitral Valve Regurgitation
Some people have mitral valve regurgitation because of heart conditions that they’re born with. Others develop mitral valve regurgitation because of age-related valve damage, heart disease or a heart attack.
Finding the root cause of mitral valve regurgitation is critical for helping your cardiologist create the most effective treatment plan for you. Specialists across UVM Health use a range of tests to provide a comprehensive, accurate diagnosis of mitral valve regurgitation, including:
- Physical exam: Looks for signs of mitral valve regurgitation, such as a heart murmur
- Cardiac catheterization: A test that uses thin, flexible tubes (catheters) and contrast dye to get a clear view of the heart’s arteries
- Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): An imaging test that uses radio waves and magnets to create a detailed picture of your heart
- Chest X-ray: An imaging test that uses low doses of radiation to view your heart and lungs
- Echocardiogram: An ultrasound that evaluates your heart’s structure and blood flow
- Electrocardiogram (EKG): A test that measures the electrical activity in your heart
- Stress test: A test that monitors your heart rhythm, blood pressure and breathing while you exercise or take a medicine that mirrors the effects of exercise
Mitral Valve Regurgitation Treatment
The type of treatment you need depends on the underlying cause and severity of mitral valve regurgitation. Treatment for mitral valve regurgitation may include:
In mild cases of mitral valve regurgitation, your cardiologist may prescribe medications to reduce symptoms or prevent complications. These medicines may lower your blood pressure, relax your blood vessels or help prevent blood clots.
A heart surgeon may recommend a valve repair to restore your heart’s function and preserve the existing valve. Depending on your condition, they may use techniques that reinforce the valve, repair holes in the valve or reconnect valve flaps.
At UVM Health, our surgeons use minimally invasive mitral valve surgery to operate through small incisions. Because these techniques don’t require open-heart surgery, they often lead to less blood loss and a lower chance of complications. You recover faster and can get back to the things you enjoy more quickly.
Specific mitral valve repair surgeries include:
- Annuloplasty: Your surgeon tightens the ring around your mitral valve (annulus) to help the valve close more firmly.
- Surgical valve repair: Your surgeon repairs floppy mitral valve leaflets without replacing the valve, using a bioprosthesis. This is often done in addition to an annuloplasty.
- Minimally invasive mitral valve procedures: Your interventional cardiologist performs a non-surgical procedure, such as transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) or transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVR) by inserting a thin, flexible tube (catheter) through one of your blood vessels. They guide the catheter to your heart and use it to attach a clip to your mitral valve. The clip helps reinforce the valve so it closes more tightly.
Locations Near You
62 Tilley Drive
Suite 101
South Burlington, VT 05403
115 Porter Drive
Middlebury, VT 05753
75 Park Street
Elizabethtown, NY 12932
101 Adirondack Drive
Suite 1
Ticonderoga, NY 12883
66 Park Street
Elizabethtown, NY 12932
133 Park Street
Malone, NY 12953
130 Fisher Road
Berlin, VT 05602
210 Cornelia Street
Ste 104
Plattsburgh, NY 12901
62 Tilley Drive
Suite 101
South Burlington, VT 05403-4407
133 Park Street
2nd Floor
Malone, NY 12953-1244
