Overview
In annuloplasty, the surgeon tightens, reshapes or reinforces the ring around a valve in the heart.
An annuloplasty is a procedure to tighten, reshape or reinforce the ring (annulus) around a valve in the heart. It may be done during other procedures to repair a heart valve.
Why it’s done
An annuloplasty is done to reshape, reinforce or tighten the ring around a damaged or diseased heart valve.
The ring around a valve in the heart (annulus) can widen and change from its usual shape. This may occur when the heart is enlarged or if you have a leaky valve (valve regurgitation). When the ring is widened, the valve flaps attached to the ring may not open and close correctly. As a result, blood can leak backward through the valve.
An annuloplasty may be done to fix the valve. An annuloplasty may be done with other techniques to repair a heart valve.
What you can expect
In annuloplasty, the surgeon tightens, reshapes or replaces the ring around the valve so that the valve leaflets can close. This may be done at the same time as other procedures to repair a valve.
In an annuloplasty, the heart surgeon measures the size of the existing ring around the valve. Then the surgeon sews a band to the existing ring. The band may be rigid or flexible.
An annuloplasty can be done during open-heart surgery or minimally invasive heart surgery, which involves smaller incisions.
Researchers are studying less invasive ways to perform annuloplasty and other heart valve procedures using long, thin tubes. Such approaches are called transcatheter procedures.
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