Echocardiographic abnormalities in the mitral valve prolapse syndrome.

Eight patients with prolapsed mitral valve syndrome, with a mid - or - end - diastolic click or murmur, underwent echocardiographic examination using ultrasound. Examination of the displacement of the valves by the "time motion" method showed all cases to have an abnormal recoil; in 6 cases this occurred in mid or late systole, and in two from the beginning of systole. The recorded amplitude of the pathological displacement, which gives the systolic tracings a domed appearance, and the consistancy with which it could be recorded (irrespective of the incidence of the ultrasonic waves), seem to afford a method for evaluating the degree of prolapse which, in most cases, involves both the valves. The authors compare their results with those which have already appeared in the literature, and emphasise the very real contribution which echocardiography can make in the diagnosis and assessment of the prolapsed mitral valve syndrome.