Hemodynamics of mitral stenosis: a review

This review discusses the latest developments in the hemodynamics of mitral stenosis. English-language journal articles, reviews, and textbooks from the clinical, physiology, and engineering literature related to mitral valve stenosis were identified and reviewed. The main conclusions are: (1) the hemodynamics of mitral stenosis are determined by the complex anatomical and pathophysiologic features of the valve apparatus, (2) the properties of the left ventricle, atrium, and pulmonary vasculature also have a major impact on the hemodynamic significance and the clinical syndrome of mitral stenosis, (3) the valve and the cardiac chambers have a functional reserve that become exhausted as the stenosis worsens and/or the compensatory mechanisms of the chambers fail, and (4) a careful approach to data acquisition and analysis will lead to an accurate assessment of the hemodynamics of mitral stenosis before and after therapeutic interventions.