Cardiology Murmurs

Mitral Valve Prolapse

Mitral valve prolapse is a variant of MR in which some part of the mitral apparatus is too long, so that the valve does not function well at low volumes. At higher volumes, the valve leaflet may coapt normally. At low volumes, the leaflet may prolapse into the atrium during mid-to-late systole, causing a click or murmur or both.
On examination, patients with mitral valve prolapse may have a click, a mid-to-late systolic murmur, or both.

Patient 3

This is a young man with Becker muscular dystrophy complicated by chronic systolic heart failure. The honk murmur is suggestive of mitral valve prolapse. Echocardiography demonstrated moderate mitral regurgitation without mention of prolapse.

Mitral Valve Prolapse

Annotated