Balloon Valvuloplasty

If one of the valves in your heart is narrowed, your doctor may recommend a balloon valvuloplasty to help your valve work better. This catheter-based procedure uses a small balloon to stretch open the narrowed valve — allowing for better blood flow.

Balloon valvuloplasty, also sometimes referred to as balloon valvotomy, is most commonly used to treat:

• Aortic valve disease
• Mitral valve disease
• Pulmonary valve disease

Our Approach to Treating Valve Disease Using Balloon Valvuloplasty

Our interventional cardiologists at Houston Methodist are experts in the full range of catheter-based procedures used to treat heart and vascular conditions, including balloon valvuloplasty for certain types of valve disease.

Our valve specialists and interventional cardiologists work closely together to determine whether this minimally invasive procedure is an effective treatment option for your specific condition. Leveraging their extensive expertise and state-of-the-art tools and imaging, our experts offer exceptional care and outcomes.

How Balloon Valvuloplasty Is Performed

Balloon valvuloplasty is performed in a special operating room called a cardiac catheterization laboratory, or cath lab.

After receiving sedatives and local anesthetic, your interventional cardiologist will make a small incision in your arm and groin and insert a catheter with a small balloon in its tip.

Guided by an imaging method called fluoroscopy, the catheter is then navigated into your heart and to the narrowed heart valve. The balloon is then expanded, pushing the valve open. This helps your valve work better, improving blood flow.