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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffMitral valve regurgitation — or mitral regurgitation — happens when your heart's mitral valve doesn't close tightly, which allows blood to flow backward in your heart. The mitral valve is located between your heart's two left chambers, and allows blood to flow forward through your heart during a normal heartbeat. Mitral valve regurgitation is also called mitral insufficiency or mitral incompetence.
When the mitral valve doesn't function properly, blood can't move through your heart or to the rest of your body as efficiently. Mitral valve regurgitation can make you tired and short of breath.
Treatment of mitral valve regurgitation depends on how severe your condition is, whether it's getting worse, and signs and symptoms. For mild cases, treatment may not be necessary. You may need heart surgery to repair or replace the valve for more severe cases. Left untreated, severe mitral valve regurgitation can cause heart failure or serious heart rhythm problems (arrhythmias).
- Gaasch WH. Overview of the management of chronic mitral regurgitation. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 14, 2009.
- Otto CM. Etiology, clinical features, and evaluation of chronic mitral regurgitation. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 14, 2009.
- Heart valves. American Heart Association. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4598. Accessed July 14, 2009.
- Nishimura RA. ACC/AHA guideline update on valvular heart disease: Focused update on infective endocarditis. Circulation. 2008;118:887.
- Bonow RO, et al. ACC/AHA 2006 Guidelines for the management of patients with valvular heart disease: Executive summary a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines. Circulation. 2006;114:450.
- Gaasch WH. Indications for and types of corrective surgery in severe chronic mitral valve regurgitation. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 14, 2009.
