The Frankel Cardiovascular Center’s Comprehensive Heart Valve Program is nationally renowned for mitral valve treatment. Our team includes several of the world’s leading mitral valve surgeons. Under our expert care, you’ll receive the right diagnosis and treatment options that best meet your needs.

Features of our mitral valve care include:

• Expertise: In addition to being recognized as one of the best centers for mitral valve repair, three of our surgeons are recognized as Mitral Valve Repair Reference Surgeons. Among all centers to have received this award, no other has more than two surgeons with the highest level of proficiency in mitral valve repair.
• Advanced procedures: We offer the most sophisticated treatments for the mitral valve, including new transcatheter approaches only available through clinical trials. Our participation in major clinical trials provides patients access to new treatment options.
• Patient-centered care: We know how important it is for patients and their families to receive personal care. More than 95% of our patients are extremely satisfied with their cardiovascular care at the Frankel Cardiovascular Center.

Michigan Medicine is honored to be one of the first 5 medical centers recognized for best practices in heart valve repair with The Mitral Valve Repair Reference Center award. This award was initiated by the Mitral Foundation and the American Heart Association to assist patients and cardiologists in identifying hospitals with excellent processes and outcomes.

Clinical Trials

Doctors at Frankel Cardiovascular Center are leading the development of new mitral valve treatments through clinical trial research. These trials offer less invasive procedures with excellent patient outcomes. For some new treatments, we are the only center in Michigan that offers clinical trial access for eligible patients.

To schedule an evaluation with a Frankel Cardiovascular Center physician, call 888-287-1082. Or visit the Make a Cardiovascular Appointment page to learn what to expect when you call us.

Mitral valve disease often progresses gradually and may be undetected for years. As the disease advances you may notice:

• Dizziness or lightheadedness
• Fatigue
• Irregular heartbeat
• Shortness of breath

Rarely, sudden mitral valve regurgitation may occur due to a heart infection or tearing of the fibers (chords) or muscles that support the mitral valve. This condition requires emergency care and usually replacement of the mitral valve.

Mitral valve disease can cause other heart and lung conditions such as:

• Atrial fibrillation (irregular heartbeat)
• Cardiomyopathy (heart muscle disease)
• Heart failure
• Pulmonary hypertension (increased blood pressure in the lungs)
• Tricuspid valve disease

The first indication of mitral valve disease is often a murmur your doctor hears when listening to your heart. A murmur is an abnormal whooshing sound of blood flowing through the damaged valve.

To confirm the diagnosis, your doctor will order an echocardiogram of your heart. This test uses ultrasound waves that show the motion of your heart and valves. Echocardiograms can be done through the chest (transthoracic) or through the throat (transesophageal). A transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) is often the test of choice because it produces clearer images of your heart.

Your doctor may order other tests to determine the right treatment approach:

• Cardiac catheterization, where a catheter (thin tube) is inserted into a blood vessel in your groin, neck or arm and threaded to your heart. This technique can be used to diagnose and treat heart conditions. In mitral valve disease, TEE is used during cardiac catherization to get a closer look at the valve and assess valve function.
• CT scan, which is type of X-ray. At Frankel Cardiovascular Center, our imaging specialists use a unique protocol for performing a cardiac CT scan. It allows us to collect images through the entire heartbeat. A CT scan is often used to determine the most appropriate treatment option, such as a transcatheter or minimally invasive surgical approach.

Within the Comprehensive Heart Valve Program, our team of cardiologists, surgeons and other specialists are skilled in a wide range of techniques. Their diverse expertise allows us to develop individualized treatment plans for each patient. Some of the treatments we offer include:

• Nonsurgical treatment with medications, lifestyle changes and monitoring. This approach is often used for patients with mitral valve conditions that are caused by other heart problems such as heart failure.
• Transcatheter procedures that use small tubes (catheters) to repair or replace mitral valves. These treatments are available to patients who are not candidates for minimally invasive or open-heart surgery.
• Minimally invasive surgery, which the surgeon performs through an incision between the ribs.
• Open-heart surgery, which involves opening the chest cavity. In patients with severe mitral valve prolapse, open-heart surgery is the treatment of choice and yields better long-term outcomes.