Heart valve diseases can sometimes be treated with a procedure similar to coronary angioplasty. A balloon is inserted into a narrowed heart valve using a catheter. The balloon is then inflated to widen the opening of the valve, so blood can flow through the heart more easily. This procedure is sometimes called a ‘balloon valvuloplasty’ or a ‘balloon valvotomy’.

If this procedure is not suitable, surgery may be needed. Heart valve surgery repairs or replaces heart valves that aren’t working properly and helps your heart to pump blood.

To replace the damaged valves, your surgeon will use a mechanical valve or biological tissue valve. Biological tissue valves come from pigs, cows or sometimes from human donors.

There is another type of valve surgery used to treat a condition called aortic stenosis (narrowing and stiffening of the aortic valve). This surgery is called transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), where a new valve is inserted to sit inside the damaged valve.

Read more about treatments for heart valve diseases, here.