[Place of conservative surgery in acquired valve diseases]

There is still a place for conservative surgery in valvular disease of the heart to the extent that artificial prostheses have not yet been perfected sufficiently for them to be regarded as the method of choice. While these conservative operations are rarely applicable to the aortic valve, techniques such as Carpentier's ring occupy an important place in the treatment armamentarium for disorders of the mitral valve, and even more so of the tricuspid valve.