Valvular heart disease is any disease involving one or more valves of the heart (the aortic and mitral valves on the left and the pulmonary and tricuspid valves on the right). Valve problems may be congenital or acquired.

Valvular heart disease contributes to more than 40,000 patient deaths and accounts for nearly 100,000 operations annually. On the plus side, people with valvular heart disease are living longer, with less morbidity, than ever before. Advances in surgical techniques and a better understanding of timing for surgical intervention account for increased rates of survival.