Mitral Valve Prolapse

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Mitral Valve Prolapse
Mitral valve prolapse
(valve flap closes abnormally)
Blood regurgitated back into atrium
Mitral valve prolapse (MVP) is a condition in which one of the valves of the heart, the mitral valve, doesn’t work properly. The flaps of the valve are “floppy” and don’t close tightly. Much of the time, MVP doesn’t cause any problems. Rarely, blood can leak the wrong way through the floppy valve, which may cause shortness of breath, palpitations, chest pain, and other symptoms.
when the left ventricle contracts, one or both flaps of the mitral valve flop or bulge back (prolapse) into the left atrium. This can prevent the valve from forming a tight seal, and allow blood to flow backward from the ventricle into the atrium. The backward flow of blood is called regurgitation, and it can lead to symptoms and complications.
Regurgitation doesn’t occur in all cases of MVP. In fact, the majority of people with MVP don’t have regurgitation and never have any symptoms or complications.
Blood pushes on valve
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. nhlbi.nih.gov
Normal closed
mitral valve
Mitral valve
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