Sudden death and the floppy mitral valve syndrome.

A 38-year-old female with a history of palpitations, premature ventricular contractions, and a systolic murmur collapsed suddenly and died. Post-mortem studies showed shortened chordae tendinae and myxomatous transformation of both mitral leaflets. As this syndrome becomes more clinically recognizable it appears that its benignancy is diminishing. Thus, it is felt that patients with findings of ventricular extrasystoles and a systolic murmur should have a careful cardiac evaluation to determine the presence of the floppy mitral valve or ballooning mitral leaflet syndrome and that appropriate measures for treatment be taken when necessary.