Overview

Congenital mitral valve anomalies are heart problems present at birth (congenital heart defects) that affect the valve between the heart's upper left chamber (left atrium) and lower left chamber (left ventricle).

Mitral valve anomalies include:

• Thick or stiff valve flaps (leaflets)
• Deformed leaflets or leaflets that join together (fused)
• Problems with the cords that support the valve such as missing cords, short and thick cords, or cords attaching to the heart muscle near the mitral valve
• Heart tissue or heart muscle problems near the mitral valve
• More than one opening in the area of the mitral valve (double-orifice valve)

Types of heart valve disease caused by mitral valve anomalies include:

• Narrowing of the valve (mitral valve stenosis). Stiffening of the leaflets and narrowing of the opening of the mitral valve reduces blood flow from the left atrium to the left ventricle.
• Leaky mitral valve (mitral valve regurgitation). In this condition, the mitral valve flaps don't close tightly or they bulge backward (mitral valve prolapse) into the left atrium as your heart squeezes (contracts). As a result, the mitral valve leaks blood.

You can have both mitral valve stenosis and mitral valve regurgitation.

People with mitral valve anomalies also often have other congenital heart defects.