Biomechanics of the Mitral Valve in Ischemic Heart Disease: Translating From the Bench to the Operating Room

The Mitral Valve (MV) is the left atrioventricular valve that controls blood flow between the left atrium and the left ventricle (Fig 1A-B). It has four main components: (i) the mitral annulus — a fibromuscular ring at the base of the left atrium and the ventricle; (ii) two collagenous planar leaflets — anterior and posterior; (iii) web of chordae and (iv) two papillary muscles (PM) that are part of the left ventricle (LV). Normal function of the mitral valve involves a delicate force balance between different components of the valve.