Mitral valve prolapse--a review.

The past decade has seen a notable resurgence of interest in the systolic click-murmur syndrome. Previously regarded as extracardiac and benign, it is now clear that these auscultatory findings are central to a disorder characterized by abnormal systolic herniation (prolapse) of the mitral leaflets into the left atrium. Although it may be the result of diverse etiologies, the usual case represents an idiopathic, hereditary disorder of the valve leaflets with pathologic findings similar to those in Marfan's syndrome. The condition is very common and generally benign, and asymptomatic; however, a wide variety of clinical manifestations has been described, with a clinical picture at times indistinguishable from that of coronary artery disease. The small subset of patients at risk for malignant arrhythmias and sudden death has yet to be fully characterized. Although noninvasive techniques generally suffice for the diagnosis of MVP, left ventricular cineangiography is the definitive procedure. It remains for future studies in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients to define the relation between severity of MVP, its clinical manifestations, and its prognosis.