Tummy Tuck With Mitral Valve Prolapse
Mitral valve prolapse (MVP) is a very common condition. Your plastic surgeon will have you evaluated prior to the procedure to determine what if any additional precautions will be necessary. However, it is not typically considered a contraindication for a tummy tuck.
Mitral valve prolapse (MVP) is a common form of mitral valve disease that is harmless for most people. However, it can become dangerous if it leads to severe mitral regurgitation (leaky valve). People with severe regurgitation may need valve repair or replacement. MVP is diagnosed through a physical exam and echocardiography. read more on Tummy Tuck With Prolapse Surgery/tummy tuck with prolapse surgery.
Tummy Tuck With Mitral Valve Prolapse
After losing weight or giving birth, it’s normal for your stomach to sag. You may decide that you want your natural shape and appearance back. Our plastic surgeons can remove the hanging skin and excess fat and tighten the muscles of your stomach with a tummy tuck (abdominoplasty).
Our surgeons have years of experience performing this procedure, resulting in successful outcomes for our patients. Our patients are back on their feet the same day of the procedure and return to normal daily activities quickly.
We want you to be happy with the appearance of your stomach after this outpatient procedure.
- Realistic expectations: We listen to you, learn what you want from a tummy tuck and help you understand how the procedure will improve your appearance.
- Accredited surgical facilities: We use only surgical facilities that are fully accredited by the University of Vermont. Our facilities are safe, well-equipped and comfortable.
- Expertise and judgment: Our team of plastic surgeons has more than 50 years of experience. This extensive experience allows us to help you decide if an abdominoplasty is the right procedure for you.
- Experienced plastic surgeons: All our doctors are fully qualified plastic surgeons with specific training in this procedure. Not every doctor who offers cosmetic procedures is trained in plastic surgery. At our center, you receive care from the most qualified doctors in our region who ensure a safe, effective procedure.
What is a Tummy Tuck?
A tummy tuck is an elective surgical procedure to improve the appearance of your stomach.
- Remove fat and skin: Our plastic surgeons will remove excess fat and skin from your stomach.
- Minimal visible scarring: You don’t need to worry about scars, because we make incisions in areas that will not be seen after surgery, such as along the groin (“underwear line”).
- Flatten abdominal wall: If your abdominal muscles have separated, we will suture (stitch) them back together. This makes your stomach flatter and tighter.
- Same day discharge: Most patients return home following the procedure and can walk around their block the same day.
- Quick return to normal activities: You will wear an abdominal binder, a girdle-like garment, for up to 4 weeks after surgery. You can shower within 72 hours and return to non-physical work in 7 to 10 days.
What a Tummy Tuck Can Improve
You may seek a tummy tuck for:
- Postpartum abdominal changes: After you give birth, you may have excess skin and fat on your stomach even after you have returned to your normal weight.
- Loose or baggy abdominal skin: If you lose weight quickly, your skin may not shrink at the same rate as you lose weight. This skin can hang down and appear loose.
- Stretch marks: If you gain weight quickly or your abdomen expands during pregnancy, your skin may stretch. When you lose the weight or give birth, you may have stretch marks.
- Loose abdominal wall: Sometimes the muscles of your stomach can separate. This happens most commonly during pregnancy.
Preparing for Your Tummy Tuck Procedure
Your surgeon will review any specific preparations you need to make. Because this is a surgical procedure, you will be under general anesthetic or intravenous (IV) sedation. You will not feel any pain during the procedure.
- Medical history: Make sure you tell your surgeon about all the medications you take, any conditions you are being treated for and any surgeries you have had.
- No food or drinks: You will need to avoid eating and drinking the night before your operation. Your surgeon will give you detailed instructions about when to stop eating
- Transportation: Arrange for a friend or family member to bring you to our facility and take you home.
- Quit smoking: Smoking can make recovery times longer and lead to poorer outcomes. Read more about our smoking cessation program.
Meaning Of Mitral Valve Prolapse
Mitral valve prolapse is a type of heart valve disease that affects the valve between the left heart chambers. The flaps (leaflets) of the mitral valve are floppy. They bulge backward (prolapse) like a parachute into the heart’s left upper chamber as the heart squeezes (contracts).
Mitral (MY-trul) valve prolapse sometimes causes blood to leak backward across the valve, a condition called mitral valve regurgitation.
Usually, mitral valve prolapse isn’t life-threatening and doesn’t require treatment or lifestyle changes. But some people may need medications or surgery, especially if the prolapse causes severe regurgitation.
Other names to describe mitral valve prolapse include:
- Barlow syndrome
- Billowing mitral valve syndrome
- Click-murmur syndrome
- Floppy valve syndrome
- Mitral prolapse
- Myxomatous mitral valve disease
Symptoms
Signs and symptoms of mitral valve prolapse are due to the amount of blood leaking backward through the valve.
Mitral valve prolapse symptoms can vary widely from one person to another. Many people with mitral valve prolapse don’t have noticeable symptoms. Other people may have mild symptoms that develop gradually.
Symptoms of mitral valve prolapse may include:
- A racing or irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia)
- Dizziness or lightheadedness
- Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, especially during exercise or when lying flat
- Fatigue.
If you have symptoms of mitral valve prolapse, make an appointment with your health care provider. Many other conditions can cause similar symptoms.
If you’re having sudden or unusual chest pain or think you’re having a heart attack, seek emergency medical care immediately.
If you’ve been diagnosed with mitral valve prolapse, see your provider if your symptoms worsen.
Causes
To understand the causes of mitral valve disease, it may be helpful to know how the heart works.
The mitral valve is one of four valves in the heart that keep blood flowing in the right direction. Each valve has flaps (leaflets) that open and close once during each heartbeat. If a valve doesn’t open or close properly, blood flow through the heart to the body can be reduced.
In mitral valve prolapse, one or both of the mitral valve leaflets have extra tissue or stretch more than usual. The leaflets can bulge backward (prolapse) like a parachute into the left upper heart chamber (left atrium) each time the heart contracts to pump blood.
The bulging may keep the valve from closing tightly. If blood leaks backward through the valve, the condition is called mitral valve regurgitation.
Risk factors
Mitral valve prolapse can develop in any person at any age. Serious symptoms of mitral valve prolapse tend to occur most often in men older than 50.
Mitral valve prolapse can occur in families (be inherited) and may be linked to several other conditions, including:
- Ebstein anomaly
- Ehlers-Danlos syndrome
- Graves’ disease
- Marfan syndrome
- Muscular dystrophy
- Scoliosis.
Complications
Potential complications of mitral valve prolapse may include:
- Mitral valve regurgitation. The mitral valve flaps don’t close tightly. Blood flows backward when the valve is closed, making it harder for the heart to work properly. Being male or having high blood pressure increases the risk of mitral valve regurgitation.
- Heart rhythm problems (arrhythmias). Irregular heartbeats may occur if mitral valve prolapse leads to severe regurgitation and swelling of the upper left heart chamber (atrium).
Tummy Tuck With Prolapse Surgery
A tummy tuck at our Fort Worth practice can be a transformative procedure for contouring the midsection by tightening weakened abdominal muscles and removing excess skin. However, many people are surprised to learn that, when performed by a board-certified plastic surgeon, a tummy tuck offers additional benefits not normally associated with the surgery. In addition to helping people change their shape after pregnancy or losing significant amounts of weight, you may look forward to some of the benefits below.
Tummy Tucks Can Reduce Back Pain
When your core muscles are weak, your other muscles must compensate to help you keep your posture, and this compensation can lead to back pain. Additionally, strong core muscles stabilize and keep your pelvis and spine in a neutral position, which aids in a healthy back. Tummy tuck surgery tightens your abdominal muscles, which effectively strengthens your core, improves your posture, and can help to reduce back pain. You can read more about how abdominoplasty relieves back pain in a Healthline article.
A Tummy Tuck May Reduce Urinary Incontinence
Countless women suffer from a weak bladder caused by childbirth or natural aging. If you leak when you sneeze, cough, jump, or laugh, your tummy tuck procedure can improve your bladder control. During the procedure, your surgeon can create a slight obstruction using the soft tissues that support the pelvic floor, bladder, and urethra. This causes tension and pressure along the path from the bladder to the urethra, preventing leakage.
Ventral Hernia Correction With Tummy Tuck
A ventral hernia is a bulge of tissues that protrudes through an opening in your abdominal wall muscles. It can cause pain and complications with other organs, like the intestines, and pregnancy is a risk factor for developing these types of hernias. Women exploring abdominoplasty who also have a ventral hernia are often pleased to learn that a tummy tuck and hernia repair can be combined into one surgery, requiring just one recovery period. Additionally, by tightening the muscles, a tummy tuck also reduces the likelihood of hernia reoccurrence.
A Tummy Tuck Can Increase Exercise Tolerance
Removing excess skin and strengthening the abdominal muscles can make exercise easier. Not only will the removal of excess skin make exercise physically less taxing, but it will also boost your confidence at the gym. Often when patients undergo a body contouring procedure such as a tummy tuck, they are more motivated to stick to an exercise regimen.