[Relationship of two-dimensional echocardiographic mitral valve prolapse to mitral regurgitation assessed by color Doppler flow imaging].

Although two-dimensional echocardiography is a standard for diagnosing mitral valve prolapse, the diagnostic criteria are controversial. Regardless of valve ballooning we have used our criteria which are based on the dislocation of the mitral valve coaptation. The purpose of this study was to clarify the relationship between the location and the degree of mitral valve prolapse assessed by two-dimensional echocardiography and those of mitral regurgitation evaluated by color Doppler flow imaging, which enables us detailed analysis of regurgitation. Twenty-three patients with idiopathic mitral valve prolapse diagnosed by our criteria were studied. They were 14 men and nine women, ranging in age from 19 to 72 years (mean 44.7). In any patients, prolapse of either the anterior or posterior leaflet does not satisfy the Gilbert's criteria. Twenty of the 23 patients had mitral regurgitation by color Doppler flow imaging, and the grade was II, III or IV in 16 of these 20 patients. In 19 of 20 patients, the localization of the regurgitant jet flow from the mitral orifice coincided with the two-dimensional echocardiographic site of dislocation of mitral valve coaptation. Therefore, it was concluded that the dislocation of mitral leaflet coaptation detected by two-dimensional echocardiography is an abnormal finding regardless of the protrusion of the valve beyond the mitral ring.