An apparatus for treating or preventing a valvular disease, said apparatus comprising : - a ultrasound probe (2) located externally to a heart (H) of patient ( P), able to produce ultrasound waves focused inside said heart and suitable to generate, at a focal spot, a pressure sufficient to result in cavitation, - an imaging device (4) for mapping in real time a treatment region (C) of a cardiac valve of the patient, said treatment region comprising at least one leaflet of the cardiac valve, - a controller (5, 7, 8 ) configured for driving the ultrasound probe to emit a sequence of focused ultrasound waves, the controller being further configured for steering the focused ultrasound waves so as to scan the entire treatment region to soften the tissues of the treatment region. A method for treating or preventing valvular disease, carried out using said apparatus.
