mitrale

Mitrale is an adjective used in several languages to refer to the mitral valve of the heart. In English, the corresponding term is mitral. The mitral valve is the left-sided atrioventricular valve, located between the left atrium and left ventricle, and it plays a key role in directing blood flow during the cardiac cycle.

Anatomy and function: The valve typically has two leaflets, the anterior and posterior, attached to the annulus fibrosus. Chordae tendineae connect the leaflets to papillary muscles within the left ventricle. During diastole the valve opens to allow blood from the left atrium into the ventricle; during systole the leaflets coapt to prevent backflow into the atrium.

Common conditions: Mitral stenosis is usually due to rheumatic disease and narrows the valve orifice, causing a diastolic murmur and elevated atrial pressures. Mitral regurgitation (insufficiency) involves incomplete closure, allowing blood to flow backward into the left atrium during systole and can lead to left-sided volume overload. Mitral valve prolapse features displacement of one or both leaflets into the left atrium during systole and may be associated with regurgitation. Causes include degenerative valve disease, ischemic heart disease, infections, or congenital factors.

Diagnosis and treatment: Diagnosis relies on clinical assessment augmented by echocardiography, which images valve anatomy and function. Additional tests may include ECG and chest imaging. Management ranges from observation in mild cases to medical therapy for symptom control (diuretics, afterload reduction) and anticoagulation when indicated. Definitive treatment may involve surgical repair or replacement of the valve, or transcatheter therapies such as edge-to-edge repair in select patients.