Classification of the radiological morphology of the mitral valve. Differentiation between true and pseudoprolapse.

The morphology of the mitral valve apparatus was assessed on 100 normal left ventriculograms. Four distinct types of mitral valve were identified according to the position of the mitral fulcrum (the point of attachment of the leaflets to the annulus) and the configuration of the adjacent left ventricular wall (left ventricular fornix) during diastole. Types I and II closely simulated prolapse of the mitral valve (pseudoprolapse) in the right anterior oblique projection during the ejection period. Measurements showed that contraction of the ventricle failed to reduce the diameter of the mitral valve annulus in 26 per cent of normal left ventricles.