Treatment Overview

Treatment of mitral valve stenosis depends on how bad your symptoms are.

Stenosis without symptoms

If you don't yet have symptoms or you have mild, stable symptoms, your doctor may only watch your condition with regular echocardiograms. Your doctor will want you to call if you notice symptoms or if you have a change in symptoms you already have.

Stenosis with symptoms

If you develop symptoms, your doctor may prescribe medicine that lowers your blood pressure and reduces fluid buildup. For more information, see Medications.

Repair or replace the mitral valve

If your stenosis gets worse, your doctor might suggest repairing or replacing your mitral valve.

Repairing the valve can be done by:

• Balloon valvotomy, a catheter procedure that stretches the valve open.
• Commissurotomy, an open-heart surgery to remove calcium deposits and other scar tissue from the valve.

Mitral valve replacement surgery replaces the damaged valve with a new valve.

For more information, see Surgery.

Ongoing Concerns

Mitral valve stenosis can be an easy condition to overlook in its mild form. But as it gets worse, it often has serious complications. These are serious problems that need treatment.

The most common complications are:

• A heart rhythm problem, such as atrial fibrillation.
• Heart failure.
• An infection in the heart (endocarditis).

Other complications include:

• Fluid buildup in the lungs.
• Spitting up blood.
• High blood pressure in the lungs.
• Blood clots that travel through blood vessels to the heart, brain, kidneys, intestines, arms, or legs.

For more information, see the topics Heart Failure, Atrial Fibrillation, and Endocarditis.