Abstract
The issue of heart valve disease is an important part of modern cardiology. Heart valve diseases worsen quality of life of the patients and their survival according to disease severity.
Simultaneously with aging of the population and with improvement of the care of the patients with ischaemic heart disease and heart failure the number of patients firstly with aortic stenosis and mitral regurgitation increases. Current diagnostics and cardiac surgery are nowadays highly developed and the operative mortality is minimal.
Increasing number of polymorbid patients in advanced age are not indicated to cardiac surgery. In many of these patients the percutaneous treatment is indicated.
These techniques achieved unprecedented growth recently. A trend to early indication of cardiac surgery before the development of dysfunction and dilatation of heart chambers is seen.
This trend is connected with the development of echo diagnostic (TEE, 3D echo) and with the development of sparing cardiac procedures. Early indication further decreases perioperative and postoperative mortality and improves patient's survival.