Structural Heart Conditions

If you have a problem with your heart’s valves, muscles or walls, we can help. At the Center for Structural Heart Disease, our team provides the advanced imaging and innovative treatment you need. The doctors at Henry Ford Health System will have you breathing easier and feeling like yourself again.

Why visit Henry Ford for a structural heart condition?

Our doctors provide you with the highest quality care for structural heart disease. Highlights of our program include:

• Pioneers in the field: You’ll receive care from experienced doctors known nationally for their innovations. Our team is led by William W. O’Neill, M.D., a world-renowned structural heart expert.
• Ability to handle a range of cases: We can treat a range of structural heart conditions, from the straightforward to the exceedingly complex. In particular, our doctors can treat people who are too ill, old or frail for open-heart surgery. Our minimally invasive procedures use special tubes (catheters) to reach the heart, for faster recoveries and fewer complications. Learn more about our treatments for structural heart disease.
• Focus on safety: We may use advanced imaging for diagnosis and treatment planning, to see your heart from every angle. At times, we can even use 3D printing to create a detailed model of your heart. Learn more about our heart tests and scans.
• Access to clinical trials: Our clinical trials may provide you with the chance to try the latest treatments. These treatments are typically only available at certain centers.
• Compassionate care: Our team views each case as unique. Throughout treatment, we provide the same care we would want our own family members to receive. We never forget that each person we help is someone’s loved one.

Structural heart problems we treat

Structural heart conditions can affect the shape of the heart’s valves, walls or muscle, as well as the heart’s ability to do its job. Some structural heart conditions are present at birth. Others develop later from an illness, an infection or aging. Our team treats people with all stages and types of structural heart problems, including:

• Heart valve diseases: Each heart has four valves: aortic, mitral, pulmonary and tricuspid. Problems occur when these valves narrow (stenosis) or fail to close (regurgitation). Learn more about heart valve disease.
• Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM): Parts of the heart muscle thicken and stiffen with this condition, which makes the heart work harder. Learn more about HCM.
• Stroke risk and atrial fibrillation: Atrial fibrillation, a common arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat), can lead to stroke in people who can’t take blood thinners to prevent blood clots. Learn more about stroke risk from AFib.
• Atrial septal defect and patent foramen ovale: Certain heart conditions can cause holes in a baby’s heart and lead to stroke. Learn more about atrial septal defects and patent foramen ovale.