How is it done?
You will be given a sedative to help you relax. A local anesthetic will be injected into your groin to help keep you from feeling pain.

Then the doctor will put a needle into a groin vein or artery, depending on which heart valve has the problem, and guide a small catheter into the blood vessel. A catheter is a long tube the doctor can use to inject fluid, introduce other catheters and instruments, and measure blood pressure. The doctor will direct the catheter to the problem area of your heart.

The doctor will guide a wire within the small catheter into your heart and through the problem valve. The doctor will remove the first catheter and slide a larger, balloon catheter through the blood vessel, over the wire. The doctor will inject a contrast dye into the balloon so he or she can watch it with x-rays. The doctor will guide the balloon into the problem valve, then inflate the balloon a bit to check, with the x-ray, if it is in the right place. Then the doctor will inflate the balloon so it makes the valve opening larger.

When the balloon is inflated, you may feel some temporary pain. This is not uncommon, but you should tell the doctor. The doctor may repeat this process several times until she or he feels the valve opening is the right size. Then the doctor may replace the large catheter with the smaller one and inject contrast media through the catheter. The doctor may use the smaller catheter to measure the pressure in your blood vessels again and take another x-ray.

The doctor will then remove the catheter and the wire and apply pressure over your groin to control any bleeding.