Mitral valve prolapse

Mitral valve prolapse (MVP) 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 primarily relies on echocardiography, which uses ultrasound to visualize the mitral valve. MVP is the most common valvular abnormality, and is estimated to affect 2–3% of the population and 1 in 40 people might have it. The condition was first described by John Brereton Barlow in 1966. It was subsequently termed mitral valve prolapse by J. Michael Criley. Although mid-systolic click (the sound produced by the prolapsing mitral leaflet) and systolic murmur associated with MVP were observed as early as 1887 by physicians M. Cuffer and M. Barbillon using a stethoscope.