Anatomy and mathematical modeling of the normal mitral valve: current state of the art. (Literature review)

Valvular heart defects are among the most common heart diseases, and their incidence continues to increase annually due to the global increase in life expectancy. The anatomy and physiology of the atrioventricular valves, and the mitral valve in particular, are complex and have been studied over the past century. All this material has served as the basis for the construction of mathematical and, more complex, computer models in the current stage of scientific advancement in the study of the function and mechanism of the mitral valve. In recent decades, scientists around the world have been mathematically modeling the function of individual mitral valve structures during various phases of the cardiac cycle. Computer modeling efforts aimed at unifying the mathematical description of the functions of the various components of the mitral valve are also ongoing; however, they are extremely complex and require a multidisciplinary approach: involving not only cardiac surgeons but also cardiologists, ultrasound specialists, mathematicians, and entire mathematical modeling laboratories. The development of foreign specialists and the creation of a domestic version of the software — “virtual twin of the mitral valve” will undoubtedly be able to assist in the further development of treatment methods for open and interventional surgeries on the mitral valve of the heart: from transcatheter procedures such as MitraClip to open surgical treatment, especially reconstructive plastic surgery on the heart valve.