Difficulty breathing, chest pain, palpitations, leg swelling, feeling tired, and feeling faint or dizzy can be clinical manifestations of valve disease. Without the necessary treatment, these diseases can lead to severe complications. Fortunately, minimally invasive, highly effective treatment options are now available.
The proper circulation of blood depends on the heart’s four valves, which are made up of small flaps, called cusps, whose role is to let blood flow in one direction only. Certain conditions, such as rheumatic disease, heart infection, and birth defects can cause valvular disease. Valves can thicken or stick together, making circulation difficult (valvular stenosis), or they can close incompletely, causing blood to flow in the opposite direction (valvular regurgitation or regurgitation). Incomplete development of a valve before birth causes valvular atresia, a rarer, congenital condition.
Left untreated, valvular disease can lead to life-threatening heart failure. Other complications may also occur, such as pulmonary hypertension or atrial fibrillation. That’s why people experiencing the aforementioned symptoms should go to a cardiologist as soon as possible for consultation, diagnosis and treatment. In some situations, drug treatment and monitoring are sufficient, but in serious cases, with severe manifestations, surgical treatment is needed to repair or replace the affected valve.
Currently, most heart surgery interventions for valvular diseases are performed through minimally invasive procedures – minithoracotomy or endoscopic surgery. Also, some diseases of the heart valves can be treated by cardiac catheterization. Endovascular interventions present lower risks of complications compared to classic surgery, involve only a small incision to insert the catheter, and the patient’s recovery is faster.
It is important for people diagnosed with valvular disease to know that there are specialized medical centers in Romania, where cardiovascular diseases are treated using modern methods. The Center of Excellence and Training in Minimally Invasive Cardiovascular Surgery at the SANADOR Clinical Hospital, the first internationally accredited in Romania, provides state-of-the-art treatments for valvular diseases, through minimally invasive heart surgery and interventional cardiology procedures.
At the SANADOR Clinical Hospital, interventional treatment for valvular diseases is carried out with two high-performance Philips Azurion 7 angiographs, and surgical interventions are carried out in a well-equipped, fully digitalized operating room. Patients receive advanced medical care in the Category I Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit.
