Patent ID: 8608797

Claim:
A method for treating mitral valve regurgitation, comprising: delivering through a catheter and into a ventricle of a heart, a band including a proximal coupling element; inserting the band around between 90 and 270 degrees of a mitral valve, including around at least a portion of a posterior cusp of the valve, in a space defined by (a) a ventricular wall, (b) a ventricular surface of the posterior cusp in a vicinity of an annulus of the valve, and (c) a plurality of third-order chordae tendineae, wherein the inserting comprises placing the band in a manner in which, during the placing, the band assumes a curved shape and conforms to the shape of the annulus; and coupling a distal end and a proximal end of the band to a first chorda tendinea and a second chorda tendinea, respectively, each of the first and second chordae tendineae selected from the group consisting of: one of the plurality of third-order chordae tendineae, and a first-order chorda tendinea that inserts on a commissural cusp of the mitral valve, wherein coupling comprises: after the coupling of the distal end of the band to the first chorda tendinea, sliding the proximal coupling element along the band until the band has a desired length between the distal end and the proximal coupling element; locking the proximal coupling element to the band, wherein: a portion of the band in a vicinity of the proximal end includes a first set of teeth, an interior surface of the proximal coupling element includes a second set of teeth, the teeth are configured to allow distal advancement of the proximal coupling element along the band, and to not allow proximal retraction of the proximal coupling element along the band, and locking the proximal coupling element comprises advancing the proximal coupling element until the band has the desired length; and following the locking of the proximal coupling element to the band, coupling the proximal coupling element to the second chorda tendinae.