Patent ID: 8262725

Claim:
A method of treating a mitral valve, the method comprising: implanting in the mitral annulus an intraannular band comprising an elongate body having a first end, a first anchoring portion located proximate the first end, a second end, a second anchoring portion located proximate the second end, and a central portion, wherein the central portion has a convex arcuate shape, the central portion displaced out of an intraannular plane of the mitral valve, said plane containing the first end and the second end; attaching the first anchoring portion to a first portion of the mitral annulus; and attaching the second anchoring portion to a second portion of the mitral annulus such that the intraannular band extends transversely across coaptive edges formed by the closure of the mitral valve leaflets during systole and the central portion is convex in the direction of the left ventricle relative to the first anchoring portion and the second anchoring portion to elevate the position of the coaptive edges in the direction of the ventricle during valve closure and thereby cause early coaption relative to the cardiac cycle, wherein the coaptive edges of the leaflets are unsupported by the band during diastole, and wherein attaching the first and second anchoring portions does not affect the size and shape of the mitral annulus.