Mitral Valve Disease
The mitral valve is the valve located between the upper left heart chamber – called the left atrium – and the bottom left heart chamber, called the left ventricle.
When someone has mitral valve disease, the mitral valve doesn’t work properly.
What are the types of mitral valve disease?
Mitral valve disease includes:
- Mitral valve regurgitation: This occurs when the mitral valve flaps, called leaflets, do not close tightly, causing blood to leak backwards into the left atrium.
- Mitral valve regurgitation can also be caused by mitral valve prolapse, in which the leaflets bulge back into the left atrium.
- Mitral valve stenosis: This occurs when the flaps of the mitral valve become thickened or stiff, and can fuse together. This narrows the valve opening, reducing blood flow from the left atrium to the left ventricle.
- Some people have both mitral valve stenosis and mitral valve regurgitation.Â
What are the symptoms of mitral valve disease?
Symptoms of congenital mitral valve disease may be serious or mild, depending on the severity of the condition. In cases of severe mitral valve disease in babies and young children, symptoms may include:
- Shortness of breath during feedings.
- Poor weight gain.
- A pale gray or bluish tint to the skin. Depending on skin color, these changes may be easier or harder to see.
- Heavy breathing.
- A fast heartbeat.
- Swelling in the legs, belly or around the eyes.
Sometimes, symptoms of congenital mitral valve anomalies won’t appear until later in life, if at all. In older children and adults, symptoms may include:
- Trouble breathing, such as fast breathing or difficulty breathing during exercise.
- Chest pain or discomfort.
- Feeling very tired.
- Dizziness or fainting.
- Fast heartbeat or extra heartbeats
What treatment options are there?
Treatment for mitral valve disease will depend on the symptoms, and how severe they are. In cases of mild mitral valve disease, there may be no treatment needed at all. In more severe cases, some people may need surgery to repair or replace the mitral valve.
Mitral valve repair
Mitral valve repair is done when possible, as it saves the heart valve. Surgeons may do one or more of the following during mitral valve repair:
- Patch holes in a valve.
- Reconnect valve flaps.
- Separate valve flaps that have fused.
- Separate, remove or reshape muscle near the valve.
- Separate, shorten, lengthen or replace the cords that support the valve.
- Remove excess valve tissue so that the leaflets can close tightly.
- Tighten or reinforce the ring around a valve, called the annulus, using sutures or an artificial ring.
Mitral valve replacement
If the mitral valve cannot be repaired, it may need to be replaced – either with a mechanical valve or a biological tissue valve (made from cow, pig or human heart tissue).
Biological tissue valves wear down over time, but can last 10-20 years, and usually don’t require the long-term use of medication. Mechanical valves will last longer, but will require the use of blood thinners for life to prevent blood clots.
