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mitral stenosis a narrowing of the mitral valve due to inflammation and scarring; the cause is almost always rheumatic heart disease. Normally the leaflets open with each pulsation of the heart, allowing blood to flow from the left atrium into the left ventricle; the leaflets close as the ventricle becomes full, so that they prevent a backward flow of blood. In mitral stenosis there is increased pressure in the pulmonary artery and hypertrophy of the left ventricle.
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