Mitral valve prolapse Mitral valve prolapse Mitral valve prolapse (MVP; a.k.a. floppy mitral valve syndrome, systolic click murmur syndrome or billowing mitral leaflet) is a valvular heart disease characterized by the displacement of an abnormally thickened mitral valve leaflet into the left atrium during systole. It is the primary form of myxomatous degeneration of the valve. There are various types of MVP, broadly classified as classic and nonclassic. In severe cases of classic MVP, complications include mitral regurgitation, infective endocarditis, congestive heart failure, and, in rare circumstances, cardiac arrest. The diagnosis of MVP depends upon echocardiography, which uses ultrasound to visualize the mitral
Mitral valve prolapse valve. The prevalence of MVP is estimated at 2–3% of the population. The condition was first described by John Brereton Barlow in 1966. In consequence, it may also be referred to as Barlow's syndrome, and was subsequently termed "mitral valve prolapse" by J. Michael Criley. Upon auscultation of an individual with mitral valve prolapse, a mid-systolic click, followed by a late systolic murmur heard best at the apex is common. The length of the murmur signifies the time period over which blood is leaking back into the left atrium, known as regurgitation. A murmur that lasts throughout the whole of