Patients with valvular heart disease amenable to surgery

1. 1. Methods of closed cardiac surgery have limited application confined chiefly to relief of “pure” mitral stenosis, or possibly combined mitral and aortic stenosis. 2. 2. Direct vision permits surgical treatment of mitral insufficiency and other complex mitral lesions; some clinicians and surgeons favor this approach for all types of mitral surgery including correction of “pure” stenosis. 3. 3. Prosthetic ball-valves can be used to replace mitral valves in certain patients inoperable by other methods. 4. 4. Direct surgical correction of diseased aortic valves is of limited value, and replacement by prosthetic valves is usually required. 5. 5. Factors influencing the development and risk of various operations are discussed.