More aptly, its appearance has been compared to two halves of a parachute arranged canopy to canopy. Even though the leaflets are thin, they are strong and tough. The leaflets form the one-way door that controls the flow of blood. The front leaflet is longer and wider than the back leaflet. They are anchored and kept closed during ventricular contraction by papillary muscles which are part of the ventricle.
Blood passes from the left atrium through the mitral valve to the left ventricle.
From there the blood is pumped out of the heart and to the rest of your body. Mitral valve prolapse is the most frequently diagnosed valvular deformity Sometimes the mitral valve may be too large to fit snugly in its frame of muscles and cords. It will then bow or prolapse. When this happens, the valve may not close properly. Blood may sometimes leak backwards into the left atrium when the heart contracts.