How to Pronounce SAM of the Mitral Valve

Say it like this: 'SAM of the MY-tral VALV.' The word 'SAM' is pronounced like the name Sam, 'mitral' rhymes with 'my-trul,' and 'valve' sounds like 'valv' (rhymes with 'halve'). The stress falls on the first syllable of 'mitral'—MY-tral—so that's where your voice gets a little louder.

'SAM' is short for Systolic Anterior Motion. 'Systolic' refers to the heart's pumping phase, 'anterior' means toward the front, and 'motion' means movement. So SAM basically means abnormal forward movement during a heartbeat.

The mitral valve is a one-way door inside your heart that lets blood flow in one direction. The word 'mitral' comes from 'miter,' a type of two-pointed hat, because the valve has two flaps that look like that shape. When doctors say 'mitral valve,' they're talking about this specific valve in your heart.

Break it into three parts: 'MY-tral VALV.' The first syllable 'MY' gets the stress, the second is 'tral,' and the third is 'valv.' It helps to say each part separately at first, then speed them together.

People often stress the wrong syllable and say 'mi-TRAL' instead of 'MY-tral.' Another mix-up is pronouncing 'valve' like 'vālv' (with a long 'a' sound), when it should sound like 'valv' (rhyming with 'halve'). Remember: MY-tral VALV.

'Anterior' is a directional word used in medicine that means toward the front or forward. It comes from Latin and is the opposite of 'posterior,' which means toward the back. In SAM, the valve is moving anteriorly—that is, forward—which is not how it normally should move.

You might hear a doctor say: 'The echocardiogram showed SAM of the mitral valve during the heart's contraction.' This sentence tells you that the test revealed abnormal forward movement of the mitral valve when the heart was beating.

Yes—doctors also talk about 'mitral stenosis' (narrowing of the mitral valve), 'mitral regurgitation' (leaking of the mitral valve), and 'mitral valve disease' (general problems with the mitral valve). All of these terms start with 'mitral' because they all involve that same two-flapped valve.