Skip to main content
NCBI home page
British Heart Journal logoLink to British Heart Journal
. 1982 Apr;47(4):337–343. doi: 10.1136/hrt.47.4.337

Abnormal aortic valve echoes in mitral prolapse. Echocardiographic features of floppy aortic valve.

J C Rodger, P Morley
PMCID: PMC481144  PMID: 7066118

Abstract

The following distinctive combination of M-mode and two dimensional echocardiographic abnormalities of the aortic valve was observed in a group of 12 patients, of whom 11 had mitral valve prolapse. On two dimensional scans, the aortic cusps were freely mobile but appeared thickened or folded. On M-mode records, cusp excursion was normal: there was well defined systolic oscillation, and cusp echoes were multiple and centrally positioned within the aortic root during diastole. The aortic valve was inspected at operation in two patients: a typically myxomatous valve was replaced in one and findings were in keeping with this diagnosis in the other. It is suggested that the echocardiographic features described are characteristic of the floppy aortic valve. Despite the echocardiographic abnormalities, only three patients had clinical evidence of an aortic valve lesion. It is, therefore, further suggested that the investigation of patients with mitral prolapse should include echocardiographic assessment of the aortic valve, even when associated myxomatous degeneration of that valve is not suspected clinically.

Full text

PDF
337

Images in this article

339Image
on p.339
339Image
on p.339
340Image
on p.340
340Image
on p.340
340Image
on p.340
341Image
on p.341
341Image
on p.341
342Image
on p.342

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Chandraratna P. A., Samet P., Robinson M. J., Byrd C. Echocardiography of the "floppy" aortic valve. Report of a case. Circulation. 1975 Nov;52(5):959–962. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.52.5.959. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Davies M. J., Moore B. P., Braimbridge M. V. The floppy mitral valve. Study of incidence, pathology, and complications in surgical, necropsy, and forensic material. Br Heart J. 1978 May;40(5):468–481. doi: 10.1136/hrt.40.5.468. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. DeMaria A. N., King J. F., Bogren H. G., Lies J. E., Mason D. T. The variable spectrum of echocardiographic manifestations of the mitral valve prolapse syndrome. Circulation. 1974 Jul;50(1):33–41. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.50.1.33. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Gramiak R., Shah P. M. Echocardiography of the normal and diseased aortic valve. Radiology. 1970 Jul;96(1):1–8. doi: 10.1148/96.1.1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Karliner J. S. Clinical reliability of determining left ventricular function by echocardiography. Cardiovasc Clin. 1978;9(2):151–165. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Markiewicz W., Stoner J., London E., Hunt S. A., Popp R. L. Mitral valve prolapse in one hundred presumably healthy young females. Circulation. 1976 Mar;53(3):464–473. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.53.3.464. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Nanda N. C., Gramiak R., Manning J., Mahoney E. B., Lipchik E. O., DeWeese J. A. Echocardiographic recognition of the congenital bicuspid aortic valve. Circulation. 1974 May;49(5):870–875. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.49.5.870. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Olsen E. G., Al-Rufaie H. K. The floppy mitral valve. Study on pathogenesis. Br Heart J. 1980 Dec;44(6):674–683. doi: 10.1136/hrt.44.6.674. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Read R. C., Thal A. P. Surgical experience with symptomatic myxomatous valvular transformation (the floppy valve syndrome). Surgery. 1966 Jan;59(1):173–182. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Read R. C., Thal A. P., Wendt V. E. Symptomatic valvular myxomatous transformation (the floppy valve syndrome). A possible forme fruste of the Marfan syndrome. Circulation. 1965 Dec;32(6):897–910. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.32.6.897. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Rippe J. M., Angoff G., Sloss L. J., Wynne J., Alpert J. S. Multiple floppy valves: an echocardiographic syndrome. Am J Med. 1979 May;66(5):817–824. doi: 10.1016/0002-9343(79)91122-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Rippe J., Fishbein M. C., Carabello B., Angoff G., Sloss L., Collins J. J., Jr, Alpert J. S. Primary myxomatous degeneration of cardiac valves. Clinical, pathological, haemodynamic, and echocardiographic profile. Br Heart J. 1980 Dec;44(6):621–629. doi: 10.1136/hrt.44.6.621. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Sahn D. J., DeMaria A., Kisslo J., Weyman A. Recommendations regarding quantitation in M-mode echocardiography: results of a survey of echocardiographic measurements. Circulation. 1978 Dec;58(6):1072–1083. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.58.6.1072. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from British Heart Journal are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES