A leaky heart valve, when the mitral valve is the valve involved is known as mitral regurgitation. The most common cause of this leaky heart valve is mitral valve prolapse and it is the most common valve related disease in the US. Other causes include an enlarged heart and coronary artery disease. See some of…
Echocardiography – Part 1 – What is an echocardiogram
An echocardiogram or echo for short, is a powerful tool used primarily by cardiologists to evaluate the heart’s structure and function. An echocardiogram is a type of sonogram which means that it uses sound waves to take pictures of your heart and related structures. The system is very similar to sonar on a submarine. The…
Can Medicines Help My Mitral Valve?
The mitral valve is there to stop blood flowing backwards in the left side of the heart, and so allows blood to travel the correct way, forward, to supply the body! Most of my posts to far have been about mitral valve prolapse (MVP). In mitral valve prolapse the degenerated valve may lead to leakiness,…
Mitral Valve Prolapse – Part 6 – Getting To The Bottom Of It
By Mustafa Ahmed MD MVP - Controversy and Frustration There are very few conditions that have drawn as much controversy and as much frustration for patients and physicians over the years as mitral valve prolapse. On one hand, if anyone with MVP asks a physician what the significance of their mitral valve prolapse is, they…
Mitral Valve Prolapse – Part 5 – How Common is it?
Before reading this, if you haven’t read the first few posts, go ahead and read them so you have a good understanding of what mitral valve prolapse is, and how the valve is affected. Mitral valve prolapse has had several names over the years, including floppy valve syndrome, click syndrome, and click murmur syndrome. Up…
Mitral Valve Prolapse – Part 4 – Mitral Regurgitation
By Mustafa Ahmed MD So far we have discussed what mitral valve prolapse is, and what causes it. If you have not read the previous sections yet, then I suggest you go read those first to have a basic understanding of the mitral valve. Now we will discuss one of the complications of mitral valve…
Mitral Valve Prolapse – Part 3 – The Dreaded ‘Flail leaflet’
Think of the mitral valve in mitral valve prolapse as a parachute. The canopy of the parachute is rounded, like a mitral valve prolapse valve (where as in a normal valve it would be a flat top). The strings that connect the canopy to the person are like the ‘chordae’ that attach the valve to…
Mitral Valve Prolapse – Part 2 – The Valve
By Mustafa Ahmed MD So now you understand the basics of mitral valve prolapse. When initially described as a relatively common cause of mitral valve disease in the 1950’s, mitral valve prolapse (MVP) was known as ‘floppy valve syndrome.’ The underlying process making the valve floppy is technically termed ‘myxomatous degeneration,’ which literally means jelly-like…
Mitral Valve Prolapse – Part 1 – The Basics
What is the Mitral Valve ? Blood flow through the left side of the heart is simple. It goes from the top chamber of the heart, to the bottom chamber of the heart then out to the body. The mitral valve is the valve between the top and bottom chambers that is simply there to…
