Diagnosis & Treatment of Heart Valve Disease

At NYU Langone’s Heart Valve Center, you receive personalized care based on your individual needs. Our team is made up of doctors who specialize in different areas of cardiology and cardiac surgery, ensuring that you receive a comprehensive workup on your first visit to reduce the need for repeat trips.

To learn more about the care experience at the Heart Valve Center, read our patient stories.

Your First Appointment

Most of the time, we can ensure that all necessary tests are completed by the day of your initial visit. Our primary team of heart valve physicians reviews your records, and at your appointment, we discuss your treatment options.

We understand that deciding between the variety of treatment options for heart valve disease may feel overwhelming for patients and their families. To help you make the best choice for you, we determine the treatment or treatments that are best suited to your diagnosis and meet with you and your family to help you make an informed decision.

During your visit, you may also meet with other specialists based on your individual needs such as geriatric cardiologists, physical therapists, nutritionists, or research specialists.

Diagnostic Testing for Heart Valve Disease

We offer multiple tests at the Heart Valve Center to diagnose aortic valve disease and diagnose mitral valve disease. They include the following:

• echocardiogram, in which ultrasound is used to show how your heart and its valves are working
• cardiac catheterization, in which a long, thin, narrow tube is used to look for blockages in the arteries
• cardiac CT scan, in which X-ray imaging is used to view your heart and blood vessels
• electrocardiogram, known as an EKG, which analyzes your heart’s electrical activity

Our echocardiograms are performed at NYU Langone’s Noninvasive Cardiology Laboratory and read by Dr. Muhamed Saric, a world-renowned expert in this field.

Treatments for Aortic Valve Disease

Aortic valve disease includes aortic valve stenosis and aortic valve regurgitation. We offer many treatment options for aortic valve disease, including the following:

• watchful waiting, recommended for people with mild forms of the condition with few or no symptoms
• surgery, which can include aortic valve replacement or aortic root replacement
• transcatheter procedures such as transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and aortic balloon valvuloplasty

Treatments for Mitral Valve Disease

Mitral valve disease includes mitral valve regurgitation and mitral valve stenosis. We offer many treatment options for mitral valve disease, including the following:

• transcatheter procedures such as transcatheter mitral valve replacement with MitraClip®, transcatheter mitral valve replacement, and mitral balloon valvuloplasty
• minimally invasive surgery that involves a small incision on the right side of the chest
• robotic mitral valve repair, which is performed through five small pencil-sized incisions in the chest wall between the ribs

Recovery from Heart Valve Disease Treatment

Recovery time following a heart valve disease procedure depends on the type of treatment used and your overall health. Transcatheter techniques generally require a one-night hospital stay, while open heart procedures can require a two- to seven-day hospital stay.