GLOSSARY

The mitral (bicuspid) valve is the left atrioventricular valve, lying between the left atrium and left ventricle and made of two leaflets, anterior and posterior.
Its name comes from its resemblance to a mitre, a bishop’s hat.

Structure and Function

• Leaflets: the anterior leaflet is larger and adjacent to the aortic valve; the posterior leaflet is smaller.
• Attachment: to the chordae tendineae and the two large papillary muscles of the left ventricle.
• Function: opens in diastole and closes in systole, preventing backflow into the left atrium and lungs; it withstands the high pressure of the left ventricle.
• Auscultation site: the apex of the heart.

Clinical Application