A surgical or catheter-based procedure that repairs a narrowed or damaged heart valve to improve blood flow. It can be performed using minimally invasive techniques like balloon dilation or through open-heart surgery.
From Latin 'valvula' meaning 'small door' or 'little valve' and Greek 'plassein' meaning 'to form' or 'to mold.' Heart valves function like doors that control blood flow direction.
Balloon valvuloplasty can open severely narrowed heart valves using a technique similar to angioplasty, inflating a balloon inside the valve to crack open calcium deposits and restore normal opening. This procedure has transformed treatment for elderly patients who are too frail for open-heart surgery.
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