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Abstract
Recently the syndrome of mitral valve prolapse with associated auscultatory and other clinical findings has generated considerable interest. Although this syndrome was originally described as benign, more recent observations have demonstrated that the patients are subject to sudden death, life threatening arrhythmias, bacterial endocarditis or hemodynamically significant mitral regurgitation. It is therefore important to identify such patients so that appropriate antibiotic prophylaxis and antiarrhythmic therapy may be instituted.
Since earlier reports of this syndrome by Barlow et al. in 1963, various names or descriptions have been applied to the condition based upon pathologic findings, on cinical investigators has stressed different aspects of the entity. Now it is well known that the syndrome is no longer a benign condition.
We have recently had the opportunity to study 15 cases of mitral valve prolapse, which was confirmed by left ventricular cineangiography. Among them 9 cases had associated other cardiac anomalies, most frequently secundum type of atrial septal defect. Among 15 cases 8 were female and the ages ranged from 20 to 52. Selective cine-coronary arteriography was also performed in 2 cases who complained of severe chest pain.
We discussed generally the clinical features including hemodynamic and angiocardiographic findings, and pertinent literature published until recently were reviewed.
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