Congenital Valve Disease Treating Cardiovascular Diseases in
Wisconsin and Northern Illinois Your heart has four valves that
open and close with each heartbeat. Their job is to make sure
your blood flows in only one direction as it passes through the
four chambers of your heart and on to the rest of your body. The
heart’s upper chambers are known as atria; the lower chambers
are ventricles. Congenital heart valve disease occurs when your
valves do not form correctly before birth. Your valves may an
abnormal number of leaflets, or tissue flaps; the leaflets may
be the wrong size or shape; or they may lack an opening for
blood to flow through. These conditions can interfere with your
heart’s pumping ability, causing it to work harder. Types of
Congenital Valve Disease One of the most common types of
congenital valve disease affects the aortic valve. This one-way
valve separates the left ventricle from the aorta, which is the
main artery that distributes blood from the heart to the body.
Instead of having the no