Diagnosis

Your doctor will ask about your medical history and give you a physical examination that includes listening to your heart through a stethoscope. Mitral valve stenosis causes an abnormal heart sound, called a heart murmur.

Your doctor will also listen to your lungs to check for lung congestion — a buildup of fluid in your lungs — that can occur with mitral valve stenosis.

Your doctor will then decide which tests are needed to make a diagnosis, and whether you need to be referred to a doctor who specializes in heart conditions (cardiologist).

Tests

Tests can be done to determine the cause of mitral valve stenosis and to determine if the valve can be repaired. Common tests to diagnose mitral valve stenosis include:

• Electrocardiogram (ECG). Wires (electrodes) attached to pads on your skin measure electrical signals from your heart, providing information about your heart rhythm. You might walk on a treadmill or pedal a stationary bike during an ECG to see how your heart responds to physical activity.
• Chest X-ray. A chest X-ray can help your doctor determine whether the heart is enlarged. A chest X-ray can also show the condition of your lungs.
• Transthoracic echocardiogram. Sound waves directed at your heart from a wandlike device (transducer) held on your chest produce video images of your heart in motion. This test is used to confirm the diagnosis of mitral valve stenosis.
• Transesophageal echocardiogram. A wandlike device attached to the end of a tube is inserted down your esophagus. This gives your doctor a closer look at the mitral valve than a regular echocardiogram does.
• Cardiac catheterization. This test isn't often used to diagnose mitral valve stenosis, but it may be used if other tests aren't able to diagnose the condition or determine its severity. It involves threading a thin tube (catheter) through a blood vessel, usually in your groin, to an artery in your heart. Dye flows through the catheter to make the artery appear more clearly on an X-ray.