Heart valve abnormalities are still a common illness in the Thai population. Some of them are caused by rheumatic heart disease, which brings destruction to three out of the four heart valves. The initial treatment is medical, which ameliorates the symptoms and workload of the heart and delays the progression to heart failure. In addition, heart valve abnormalities resulting from degeneration are as common as that from rheumatic heart disease, and when they progress to the point of malfunction, surgical intervention is needed. This consists of either valve repair or replacement with a valve prosthesis.