Libman-Sacks endocarditis (LSE) is a common manifestation of valve disease in antiphospholipid syndrome. Mitral valve LSE is characterized by verrucous vegetations on the atrial surfaces of valve leaflets. In this report, mitral valve LSE was visualized by real time 3D transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). 3D TEE provides a unique en face view of the mitral valve akin to a surgical or autopsy...

Mitral valve prolapse is a common mitral valve disorder manifested clinically as a midsystolic click and/or a late systolic murmur (the click-murmur syndrome) and pathologically as billowing or prolapsing mitral leaflets (the floppy valve syndrome). Not only is it one of the two most common congenital heart diseases and the most common valve disorder diagnosed in the United States, but it is al...

BACKGROUND Mitral valve prolapse syndrome (MVPS) and MASS phenotype (MASS) are Marfan-like syndromes that exhibit aortic dilatation and mitral valve prolapse. Unlike in Marfan syndrome (MFS), the presence of ectopia lentis and aortic aneurysm preclude diagnosis of MVPS and MASS. However, it is unclear whether aortic dilatation and mitral valve prolapse remain stable in MVPS or MASS or whether t...

Resection of the chordopapillary apparatus during mitral valve replacement has been associated with a negative impact on survival. Mitral valve replacement with the preservation of the mitral valve apparatus has been associated with better outcomes, but surgeons remain refractory to its use. To determine if there is any real difference in preservation vs non-preservation of mitral valve apparat...

BACKGROUND Mitral regurgitation is one of the leading causes of cardiovascular morbidity in pediatric patients with Marfan syndrome. The purpose of this study was to contribute to determining the appropriate surgical strategy for these patients. METHODS From January 1992 to May 2013, six patients with Marfan syndrome underwent surgery for mitral regurgitation in infancy or early childhood. ...

Echocardiographic studies of a 23-year-old man with Ebstein's anomaly and type B Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome showed almost simultaneous closure of the tricuspid and mitral valve. After administration of edrophonium chloride, the tricuspid valve closed 20 msec earlier than the mitral valve. However, the closure of the mitral valve preceded that of the tricuspid valve after administration of a...

The case is reported of a young woman with the Maroteaux-Lamy syndrome (mucopolysaccharidosis type VI) who presented with rapidly progressive dyspnoea due to mitral stenosis. Mitral valve replacement was performed and the appearance of the valve was typical of mucopolysaccharide infiltration. Dyspnoea in patients with the Maroteaux-Lamy syndrome may be due primarily to cardiac valve involvement...

The perforation of a mitral valve aneurysm is a rare disease which induces acute mitral regurgitation and is usually induced by infective endocarditis; however, in this case report, acute heart failure was caused by a perforated mitral valve aneurysm that was speculated to be due to Libman-Sacks endocarditis with systemic lupus erythematosis and secondary anti-phospholipid syndrome. Mitral valv...