What is mitral valve stenosis?

Mitral valve stenosis occurs when the opening of the mitral valve is incomplete during diastole (when the heart muscle relaxes and allows the chambers to fill with blood during this phase of the heartbeat). It is commonly caused by rheumatic fever and is a progressive and lifelong disorder.

Mitral valve stenosis is a heart condition in which the mitral valve—which regulates blood flow on the left side of the heart—fails to open as wide as it should. Although it has no immediate effect on health, eventually mitral valve stenosis can cause the left atrium to work harder to pump blood through the narrowed valve, leading to heart failure and complications such as stroke, heart rhythm problems (such as atrial fibrillation), fluid buildup in the lungs, and blood clots.

Symptoms usually do not develop for 10 to 20 years and may take as long as 40 years to be noticed. Early symptoms, such as shortness of breath with exertion, are often mild and hard to distinguish from other forms of heart disease. In the later stages of mitral valve stenosis, blood may back up into the lungs, causing symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue, weakness, and pounding of the heart.

Treatment for mitral valve stenosis depends on whether symptoms are present and how much the mitral valve has narrowed. Close monitoring is usually all that's needed for those who have mild or no symptoms. But if symptoms and severe narrowing are present, a doctor may recommend surgery to repair or replace the valve.

Mitral valve stenosis describes when the valve between two of your heart’s chambers, your left atrium and left ventricle, has become narrowed. When this happens the flaps, or leaflets, that control blood flow through the valve do not open enough to allow blood to flow properly between the heart’s left-hand chambers. The resultant constant build up of blood in the left atrium can eventually cause serious health problems.

Your physician may prescribe one or more medications as part of treating mitral valve stenosis symptoms. Common medications include anticoagulants and blood-thinners to discourage blood clots, diuretics to reduce fluid build-up in the body, anti-arrhythmics to control an irregular heartbeat, and antibiotics to treat or prevent a bacterial infection.

Serious mitral valve regurgitation is treated with valve repair or replacement. Mitral valve repair can consist of trimming excess tissue, surgically separating leaflets, or tightening cords that are attached to the leaflets. More often, surgery to replace the valve is indicated. During valve replacement surgery, your valve is removed and replaced with either a mechanical one or a valve from another person, a pig or a cow.

Sometimes, mitral valve stenosis may by treated with a procedure using a small balloon, which is inserted with a tube placed in the vein of the leg and threaded to the heart.