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Mitral valve replacement

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Mitral valve replacement surgery is an open-heart procedure. The damaged heart valve is removed and replaced with a new valve. There are two types of replacement valve: a mechanical heart valve made from plastic or metal (shown above) or a bioprosthetic heart valve made from human or animal (usually pig) tissue.

Primary Medical Reviewer Kathleen Romito, MD
- Family Medicine
Specialist Medical Reviewer Stephen Fort, MD, MRCP, FRCPC
- Interventional Cardiology
Last Updated February 20, 2007

WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise

Last Updated: February 20, 2007
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