**Abstract**

Mitral regurgitation (MR) is a common valvular disorder that has important health consequences. Surgical therapy is associated with reduced long-term mortality in elder patients. Several guidelines exist regarding when and in whom to perform mitral valve surgery, but they are controversial. It is essential to obtain preoperative indices that are promising for predicting postoperative left ventricular function and right ventricular pressure correctly. In aged MR patients, various hemodynamic conditions are presumed to be the causes of higher rate of mortality. In addition, aging causes increase in arterial stiffness. Therefore, it is also important to consider the effects of increased arterial stiffness on hemodynamics in MR. This review was written on the basis of our studies of wave intensity and will focus on the effects of increased arterial stiffness with a specific emphasis on wave intensity, which provides quantitative information about hemodynamic interaction between the ventricle and the arterial system.

**Keywords:** mitral regurgitation, arterial stiffness, wave intensity, surgical treatment, pulmonary hypertension
