Mitral stenosis, sometimes called mitral valve stenosis, is a narrowing of the valve between the two left heart chambers. The narrowed valve reduces or blocks blood flow into the lower left heart chamber, which is the heart’s main pumping chamber.

Signs & Symptoms

Mitral valve stenosis usually worsens slowly. Patients may not have any symptoms, or they may have mild ones for several years. Symptoms of mitral valve stenosis can occur at any age, even during childhood and include:

• Shortness of breath, especially with activity or when lying down
• Fatigue, especially during increased activity
• Swollen feet or legs
• Pounding, skipping or otherwise irregular heartbeats
• Dizziness or fainting
• Fluid buildup in the lungs
• Chest discomfort or chest pain
• Coughing up blood

Diagnosis

Your healthcare provider will perform a comprehensive physical and heart history. Your provider will also listen to your heart with a stethoscope. If you have mitral stenosis, a sound called a heart murmur or fluid in the lungs may be heard. Other tests for diagnosing mitral stenosis may include:

• Echocardiogram
• Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG)
• Chest X-ray
• Exercise tests or stress tests
• Cardiac computerized tomography (CT) scan
• Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan