{"id":1015,"date":"2009-12-15T05:52:06","date_gmt":"2009-12-15T10:52:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/heart-surgery-blog\/2009\/12\/15\/annuloplasty-rings\/"},"modified":"2025-05-14T15:59:45","modified_gmt":"2025-05-14T20:59:45","slug":"annuloplasty-rings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/heart-surgery-blog\/2009\/12\/15\/annuloplasty-rings\/","title":{"rendered":"“What Is An Annuloplasty Ring?” Asks Regina"},"content":{"rendered":"

I just received an interesting question from Regina about heart valve repair surgery. Her question focuses on the use of annuloplasty rings to treat leaky heart valves.<\/p>\n

Regina writes, “Hi Adam – Although I’m 58, I was recently diagnosed with mitral valve regurgitation<\/a>. My cardiologist thinks I may need surgery in the next year. The disease is categorized as moderate-to-severe. The cardiologist mentioned the potential use of an annuloplasty ring but did not explain why I might need one. Can you help me better understand the role of an annuloplasty ring? Thanks, Regina”<\/p>\n

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\"AnnuloplastyMitral Valve Annuloplasty Ring<\/p>\n

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As we have learned together, there are many different valvular disorders which negatively impact the flow of blood through the heart and body. Specific to Regina’s situation, her mitral valve leaflets<\/a> are not sealing properly. Therefore, blood is flowing backward, also known as regurgitation.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, this form of valvular disease forces the heart to work “overtime” which can lead to an enlarged heart and, in a worse case scenario, heart failure. During some types of mitral valve repair, an annuloplasty ring is used to support the mitral annulus<\/a> and maintain an appropriate diameter of the heart valve opening.<\/p>\n

“Why?” you may be wondering.<\/p>\n

Well… It makes sense that if the diameter of the valve opening is larger than the extent to which the valve leaflets close, this can be a serious risk to the patient due to heart valve leakage. The picture above shows an actual annuloplasty ring implanted during a heart valve repair.<\/p>\n

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\"Annuloplasty<\/p>\n

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As you would imagine, annuloplasty rings – like heart valve replacement devices – come in different sizes to best match the patient’s valve size. Several different companies manufacture annuloplasty rings including Edwards Lifesciences and Medtronic.<\/p>\n

I hope this helps Regina (and perhaps you) learn a little more about annuloplasty rings.<\/p>\n

Related Link:<\/p>\n