The mitral valve is the heart valve located between the left atrium (top chamber) and left ventricle (bottom chamber that pumps strongly). When the heart needs to fill with blood, the mitral valve opens and blood flows into the left ventricle. and when the heart pumps, the mitral valve closes and blood flows forward, through the aortic valve (the exit valve of the heart) and into the circulation. In mitral valve stenosis, the mitral valve does not open properly causing blood flow into the left ventricle to be impaired. If this becomes severe, symptoms such as breathlessness, weakness and arrhythmias can result. Heart valve surgery is usually recommended to treat mitral stenosis that is severe enough to cause symptoms.
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