Mitral valve replacement The choice of which valve type to use depends upon the patient's age, medical condition, preferences with medication, and lifestyle. New Developments (2014 -2017): Transcatheter mitral valve replacement or TMVR involves human heart mitral valve replacement without recourse to open-heart surgery. TMVR treats mitral valve stenosis and/or mitral valve regurgitation leading to mitral insufficiency. TMVR, initially developed by the company Tendyne (a subsidiary of Jean Boulle Medtech Ltd) for open-heart high risk patients is expected to replace traditional mitral valve replacement surgery in the longer term. The Tendyne mitral valve is placed inside a beating heart via a transcatheter at
Mitral valve prolapse "atrialis", "fibrosa", and "spongiosa". Patients with classic mitral valve prolapse have excess connective tissue that thickens the spongiosa and separates collagen bundles in the fibrosa. This is due to an excess of dermatan sulfate, a glycosaminoglycan. This weakens the leaflets and adjacent tissue, resulting in increased leaflet area and elongation of the chordae tendineae. Elongation of the chordae tendineae often causes rupture, commonly to the chordae attached to the posterior leaflet. Advanced lesions—also commonly involving the posterior leaflet—lead to leaflet folding, inversion, and displacement toward the left atrium. Echocardiography is the most useful method of diagnosing a prolapsed mitral valve.