Anatomy of the mitral valve
The mitral valve or bicuspid valve is one of the four valves of the heart and is located between the left ventricle and the left atrium. The name mitral valve derives from its appearance. It resembles a bishop’s mitre and was therefore named after it.
It belongs to the sail valves and consists of two sails. The mitral valve is connected in the left ventricle with so-called tendon threads on the papillary muscle.
- Cuspis anterior, the front sail
- Cuspis posterior, the rear sail
Function
The mitral valve serves as a valve between left chamber and left atrium. When blood is pumped from the heart into the body and pulmonary circulation during cardiac action, the valve prevents blood from the left chamber from flowing back into the left atrium by closing. After the heart has contracted (cardiac action), the heart relaxes to fill with blood again. To allow this to happen, the mitral valve opens, allowing blood to flow from the left atrium to the left ventricle. To prevent the valve from overturning, it is well anchored in the heart muscle of the left ventricle by its tendon threads.
Mitral valve diseases
Mitral valve insufficiencyIf the mitral valve no longer closes efficiently, this is referred to as mitral valve insufficiency. In this case, blood can flow back into the right ventricle despite a closed heart valve. You can find more information about mitral valve insufficiency in our topic: Mitral valve insufficiency In rare cases, the mitral valve may also be missing, this is called mitral atresia. Overall, the mitral valve is more frequently affected by malformations and valvular defects than the tricuspid valve (aortic valve), which is located in front of the left ventricle of the heart.
