Mitral valve stenosis Mitral valve stenosis Mitral stenosis is a valvular heart disease characterized by the narrowing of the orifice of the mitral valve of the heart. Signs and symptoms of mitral stenosis include the following: Fatigue and weakness increase with exercise and pregnancy. The natural history of mitral stenosis secondary to rheumatic fever (the most common cause) is an asymptomatic latent phase following the initial episode of rheumatic fever. This latent period lasts an average of 16.3 ± 5.2 years. Once symptoms of mitral stenosis begin to develop, progression to severe disability takes 9.2 ± 4.3 years. In individuals having been offered
Mitral valve annuloplasty the cardiac cycle. These changes are primarily due to the dynamic motion of the surrounding mitral valve annulus, a collageneous structure which attaches the mitral leaflets and the left atrium to the ostium of the left ventricle and the aortic root. Throughout the cardiac cycle, the annulus undergoes a sphincter motion, narrowing down the orifice area during systole to facilitate coaptation of the two leaflets and widens during diastole to allow for easy diastolic filling of the left ventricle. This motion is further enhanced by a pronounced three-dimensional configuration during systole, the characteristic saddle shape. These changes throughout the cycle