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Pulmonary Valve Repair for Pulmonary Valve Insufficiency in Germany

University Hospital Essen

9.6/10
location_onGermany, Essen

Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery

According to the Focus magazine, the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery ranks among the top German medical facilities specializing in the surgical treatment of diseases of the cardiovascular system and lung cancer! The department offers the full range of surgical services for the treatment of diseases of the cardiovascular system, respiratory tract, including heart and lung transplantation, artificial heart implantation. The therapeutic options include aortic surgery, coronary artery bypass grafting, transplantation surgery, surgical treatment of heart rhythm disorders (arrhythmias), minimally invasive surgery, surgical treatment of the heart valves, including reconstructive interventions. All operations are performed using state-of-the-art technology and in accordance with the current recommendations of professional societies.

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Hospital directly29015.84
BookingHealth26350.84error
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University Hospital Oldenburg

10/10
location_onGermany, Oldenburg

Department of Cardiac Surgery

According to the Focus magazine, the Department of Cardiac Surgery ranks among the top German medical facilities specializing in the surgical treatment of diseases of the cardiovascular system! The department offers the full range of services in this ​​medical field. Many heart surgeries are performed using minimally invasive technique, which has a positive effect on the healing of an operative wound. The patient also experiences less pain and the hospitalization period is significantly reduced. Thanks to long experience of doctors and modern equipment, the department provides excellent results in the treatment of heart pathologies.

Hospital directly24479.98
BookingHealth23079.98error
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University Hospital Ulm

8.7/10
location_onGermany, Ulm

Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery

The Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery offers the full range of surgical treatment of diseases of the heart, lungs, thoracic organs and blood vessels. Medical care is provided 24 hours a day. The doctors of the department prefer an individual approach to each patient and take into account all his needs and wishes. In clinical practice, doctors apply both classic and innovative surgical techniques in order to achieve the best therapeutic results.

University Hospital Frankfurt am Main

10/10
location_onGermany, Frankfurt am Main

Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery

According to the Focus magazine, the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery ranks among the top German medical institutions specializing in the surgical treatment of heart diseases! The department offers the full range of first-class medical care for patients with diseases of the heart and thoracic organs that require surgical treatment. The availability in the department of advanced technical base allows for the most sparing treatment and minimally invasive surgery. The main focuses of clinical practice include coronary artery bypass grafting, modern procedures for heart valve reconstruction and replacement, treatment of diseases of the thoracic aorta, as well as treatment of heart failure by implanting an artificial heart.

University Hospital Tuebingen

9.2/10
location_onGermany, Tuebingen

Department of Adult and Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery

According to the Focus magazine, the Department of Adult and Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery is included in the ranking of the top German departments specializing in the surgical treatment of cardiovascular diseases! The department offers the full range of treatment of various diseases of the heart, blood vessels, organs of the respiratory system in adults and children. As part of the German Heart Competence Centre Tuebingen, the department is distinguished by the outstanding quality of medical care, competent specialists, as well as high-tech equipment of the latest generation.

University Hospital Erlangen

9.1/10
location_onGermany, Erlangen

Department of Cardiac Surgery and Heart Transplantation

According to the Focus magazine, the Department of Cardiac Surgery and Heart Transplantation ranks among the top German departments specializing in heart interventions! The department offers the full range of surgical treatment for cardiac pathologies of varying severity. A large number of the operations performed in the department are coronary artery bypass grafting and heart valve interventions, which are most often performed using minimally invasive techniques. The team of the department's surgeons is proud of their high success rates in surgical treatment and the prestigious quality certificates of the German Cardiac Society in the field of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) and heart failure treatment. In addition, the medical facility enjoys the status of one of the best in the international medical arena for heart transplantation and the implantation of mechanical hemodynamic heart support systems. The department provides medical care in accordance with the very latest standards and offers the highest possible safety for patients. The surgical treatment is accurately planned and, if possible, operations are performed using sparing surgical techniques, without thoracotomy.

University Hospital RWTH Aachen

9.5/10
location_onGermany, Aachen

Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery

According to the Focus magazine, the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery ranks among the top medical facilities in the field of its ​​specialization! The department offers all options of modern surgery for the treatment of diseases of the cardiovascular system and thoracic organs. The department widely uses modern minimally invasive techniques, which are considered the gold standard of surgery. Since its founding in 1976, the department has performed more than 40,000 open heart interventions. The department's surgeons also have vast experience in the field of implantation of the artificial heart and mechanical heart support systems. All operations are carried out in strict accordance with the protocols of professional societies.

University Hospital Würzburg

9.2/10
location_onGermany, Würzburg

Department of Adult and Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery

According to the Focus magazine, the Department of Adult and Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery is included in the ranking of the top departments in Germany specializing in the surgical treatment of diseases of the cardiovascular system! The department offers the surgical treatment of all congenital and acquired heart diseases in adulthood, including heart transplantation, as well as the treatment of respiratory diseases in adults and children. It performs more than 2,000 interventions on the heart and about 600 operations on the lungs every year.

University Hospital Heidelberg

9.8/10
location_onGermany, Heidelberg

Department of Cardiac Surgery

According to the Focus magazine, the Department of Cardiac Surgery ranks among the top German departments specializing in cardiac surgery! The department offers the full range of surgical interventions for the treatment of cardiac pathologies. The main priorities of the department include aortic surgery, heart transplantation, minimally invasive bypass grafting and heart valve surgery. It performs more than 2,500 surgical interventions every year. In especially complex clinical cases, all necessary specialists from the related fields are involved.

University Hospital Bonn

9.2/10
location_onGermany, Bonn

Department of Cardiac Surgery

According to the Focus magazine, the Department of Cardiac Surgery ranks among the top German departments specializing in the surgical treatment of heart diseases! The department offers the full range of modern surgical interventions for the treatment of diseases of the heart, coronary vessels and thoracic aorta (with the exception of transplantation of the thoracic organs). An excellently trained team of specialists and state-of-the-art technologies guarantee the best medical care adapted to the individual needs and wishes of patients.

University Hospital Jena

8.9/10
location_onGermany, Jena

Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery

According to the Focus magazine, the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery ranks among the top medical facilities of this kind in Germany! The department offers the full range of surgical treatment of diseases of the cardiovascular system and thoracic organs in adults. Of particular interest is sparing minimally invasive surgery, particularly, heart valve interventions and coronary artery bypass grafting. Such interventions are carried out using the innovative da Vinci surgical system. The video-assisted thoracic surgical methods are widely used in the surgical treatment of thoracic diseases as well. All the department's specialists have excellent qualifications and vast clinical experience, which in combination with the cutting-edge technologies allows doctors to achieve the outstanding treatment results.

University Hospital Halle (Saale)

9.6/10
location_onGermany, Halle

Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery

The Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery covers the entire range of top-class medical services in this field. Special attention is paid to minimally invasive operations, which, along with the optimal functional result, ensure minimal traumatization, fast recovery and the absence of a cosmetic defect. The optimal type of therapy is selected in collaboration with the specialists from all the necessary related disciplines and adapts to the specific clinical indications of the patient.

University Hospital of Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich

10/10
location_onGermany, Munich

Department of Adult and Pediatric Cardiac Surgery

The Department of Adult and Pediatric Cardiac Surgery offers all the possibilities of modern surgery for treating heart disease, including a heart transplant. The department's team of surgeons admits both adult patients and children. The department annually performs more than 3,500 operations, including minimally invasive ones. The most common diseases in the clinical practice of cardiac surgeons include heart failure, coronary artery disease, heart arrhythmias, and heart valve and aortic pathologies. The department's operating rooms have all the resources for efficient and safe heart surgery. The patients' health is in the safe hands of a highly qualified team of doctors and nursing staff, numbering more than 155 employees. The main task of surgeons is to provide an optimal treatment based on the very latest advances in modern medicine. At the same time, the specialists always show a humane attitude towards a patient, considering his individual needs and wishes.

Charite University Hospital Berlin

9/10
location_onGermany, Berlin

Department of Cardiac Surgery

According to the Focus magazine, the Department of Cardiac Surgery ranks among the top German medical facilities specializing in the surgical treatment of cardiovascular diseases! The department offers the full service range in the field of cardiac surgery. Despite the fact that the department has long traditions, it has the reputation of one of the most high-tech Cardiology Centers in Europe. The clinical practice involves the use of achievements of modern surgery, particularly, minimally invasive and catheter techniques. Thus, cardiac surgeons achieve excellent results and at the same time guarantee the most sparing treatment and fast recovery for the patient.

University Hospital Duesseldorf

9.5/10
location_onGermany, Duesseldorf

Department of Adult and Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery

According to the Focus magazine, the Department of Adult and Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery ranks among the top German departments specializing in the surgical treatment of diseases of the cardiovascular system! The department offers the full range of surgical treatment of diseases of the heart, lungs, and other thoracic organs. The department has a long and successful history. It has performed more than 50,000 heart surgeries since 1938. The first open-heart surgery under hypothermia, the first heart valve replacement surgery, as well as the first pacemaker and cardioverter-defibrillator implantations in Germany should be mentioned among the department’s achievements.

University Hospital Muenster

9.8/10
location_onGermany, Muenster

Department of Congenital and Acquired Heart Defects, Heart Valve Diseases

The Department of Congenital and Acquired Heart Defects, Heart Valve Diseases offers the full range of diagnostics, outpatient and inpatient treatment of these diseases. The department became the first Center of Excellence in Germany in the field of its specialization and annually treats a large number of native patients and patients from other countries of the world. The department has a wide range of diagnostic options, as well as doctors have vast experience in catheter interventions. The department's medical team makes every effort in order to provide the first-class medical care adapted to individual needs. At the same time, important attention is paid to the psychosocial support of patients.

Pulmonary valve insufficiency is a rare heart disease. This condition is usually treated with replacement surgery, while plastic repair, the restoration of the heart valves with the patient's own tissues, usually the pericardium, is a less common option. This is a rare operation and it will be quite a challenge for you to find a Cardiac Surgery Center where doctors are highly experienced in performing this surgery. The specialists from the Booking Health company will help you with this task. On our website, you can find the cost of treatment in Germany. Please leave your request to get help in selecting a hospital, and the Booking Health specialist will contact you to advise on treatment in Germany.

Content

  1. A brief description of the disease
  2. Treatment of heart valve insufficiency with plastic repair surgery
  3. Where to undergo treatment?

A brief description of the disease

 

The pulmonic valve is located inside the pulmonary artery. It passes blood from the right ventricle into the pulmonary circulatory system and prevents it from returning back when the heart muscle relaxes.

As in any other valve, stenosis or insufficiency may develop at this site. In the case of insufficiency, part of the blood returns back. Stenosis causes the narrowing of the opening of the heart valve, and it is more difficult for the heart to push blood into the blood vessels. Insufficiency does not exclude the presence of stenosis and, in some cases, these conditions can be combined.

Pulmonary valve insufficiency can be absolute or relative. In the first case, the heart valve is damaged, most often due to medical manipulations such as surgery for tetralogy of Fallot or transcatheter procedures (for example, balloon angioplasty for heart valve stenosis). In the second case, the heart valve remains normal but the pulmonary artery expands, inside which the heart valve apparatus is located. The leaflets then cannot close the orifice completely. The most common cause of relative insufficiency is pulmonary hypertension.

Grade 1 pulmonary valve insufficiency is not considered dangerous. Even in grade 2 disease, symptoms are often absent and the quality of life remains high. For this reason, in the twentieth century, surgical treatment of the disease was not very common. However, as it was studied, it turned out that in the future, patients would develop complications such as a dilated right ventricle and heart failure. Therefore, starting from grade 2, pulmonary valve insufficiency should be treated, even if a patient has no symptoms or they can only be detected by exercise tests.

If a patient does not have surgery, the symptoms of the disease will manifest themselves after many years, and they will be caused by impaired function of the right ventricle. Symptoms may include shortness of breath, arrhythmias, and, in severe cases, the veins in the neck swell and the liver becomes enlarged.

An ultrasound scan is made for the diagnostics of the disease. More accurate information about the structure of the valvular apparatus can be obtained using an MRI scan. The technique is used during the preparation for surgery and influences the choice of treatment tactics. Among other things, it helps to determine whether a patient is a candidate for heart valve plastic repair or whether they need replacement surgery.

Treatment of heart valve insufficiency with plastic repair surgery

 

Doctors may use the following two options for the treatment of pulmonary valve disease:

  • plastic repair surgery, which involves heart valve repair, sometimes from the ground up;
  • replacement surgery, which involves the implantation of an artificial valve.

Replacement surgery is considered the main treatment method for this heart disease at hospitals in Germany. Doctors implant only biological prostheses since when using mechanical ones, the risk of thrombosis remains high, even if a patient is taking anticoagulants.

Although pulmonary valve replacement surgery provides patients with good results, they are short-lived. Biological heart valves have a limited lifespan. Moreover, the younger the patient, the faster signs of dysfunction of the artificial valve appear. In children, the pulmonary artery grows but the valve remains the same. In addition, they have faster degeneration of the bioprosthesis. As a result, 20% of patients have to undergo revision surgery after 5 years, 40% of patients have a repeated operation after 10 years, and 60% of them undergo revision surgery after 15 years. The service life of the prostheses in adult patients is longer, and they function 15-30 years. However, because most people with pulmonary valve insufficiency are young, replacing the prosthesis may require not one, but two or more operations over the course of their lives.

Some doctors, therefore, prefer to use an alternative treatment option. They perform heart valve repair surgery. It is effective for both insufficiency and stenosis.

The operation is performed on an open heart with the use of a heart-lung machine. Heart valve plastic surgery involves heart valve restoration with autologous tissues, such as the patient's own pericardium. If the leaflets are partially damaged, they can be repaired by suturing the defects or applying patches. In some cases, the heart valve may be practically absent. Even in such cases, it can be successfully repaired by reconstructing the leaflets with patches from the pericardium.

Heart valve repair surgery is technically more complex than replacement surgery. It is better to undergo your treatment abroad at a specialized hospital to avoid complications and get good long-term results. You can receive high-quality medical services in one of the developed countries, for example, at hospitals in Germany. As a result of surgery, patients experience relief of symptoms, improved quality of life, and a reduced risk of heart complications.

Where to undergo treatment?

 

If you are going to have your treatment abroad, you can seek medical attention from hospitals in Germany. This country offers high-quality medical services. With the Booking Health service, you can find the cost of treatment in Germany, compare prices, and make your appointment at the best hospital at a favorable price.

There are a few reasons for you to undergo your treatment in Germany. These are as follows:

  • high-precision diagnostics will help to establish the presence of heart disease, clarify its severity and anatomical variants to determine the optimal treatment method;
  • modern and well-equipped Cardiac Surgery Centers;
  • doctors at specialized hospitals in Germany have vast experience in pulmonary artery repair, which is a rare surgery not available in every center;
  • there is a low risk that the condition of the heart valve will worsen in the future, and the operation will have to be performed again;
  • several heart defects can be simultaneously cured at hospitals in Germany during a single operation, if necessary.

If you are undergoing your treatment in Germany, you can be sure that you will get good results. Most people do not suffer from complications. After the operation, each patient is provided with comprehensive care. Rehabilitation at hospitals in Germany begins in the initial postoperative period, which reduces its time and further reduces the risk of complications.

You are welcome to use the Booking Health service to make your treatment appointment at one of the hospitals in Germany. We will select for you the best center specializing in the treatment of heart valve disease. The Booking Health employees will fully arrange your trip. The cost of treatment in Germany will be reduced due to the absence of additional fees for foreign patients.

 

Authors: 

The article was edited by medical experts, board-certified doctors Dr. Nadezhda Ivanisova and Dr. Vadim Zhiliuk. For the treatment of the conditions referred to in the article, you must consult a doctor; the information in the article is not intended for self-medication!

 

Sources:

ECR - European Cardiology Review

American Heart Association

Healthline




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