Mitral valve blood cyst occlusion of the aortic valve leading to syncope: detection by transthoracic and contrast echocardiography.

Blood cysts of the mitral valve are rare in adults. These blood cysts are often asymptomatic. Blood cysts resulting in severe left ventricular outflow tract obstruction leading to syncope have not been previously report. We report an adult who developed frequent syncope due to mitral valve blood cysts occluding the aortic orifice. This condition was detected by transthoracic and contrast echocardiography. The blood cysts were successfully removed. A pathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of blood cysts. Contrast echocardiography is a useful diagnostic modality for assessing cardiac blood cysts. This technique can play the same role as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in hospitals without MRI or in cases where MRI is not acceptable in an emergency.