Mitral Valve: Floppy Mitral Valve, Mitral Valve Prolapse, Mitral Valvular Regurgitation

Few cardiac disorders have generated as much controversy and discussion over
the last two centuries as the floppy mitral valve (FMV)/ mitral valve
proplapse (MVP)/ mitral valvular regurgitation (MVR) triad, and the mitral
valve prolapse syndrome. During the past 50 years, recognition of its broad
pathologic and clinical spectrum has led to the appreciation of the FMV as
the central issue in the FMV/MVP/MVR story. Accordingly, the clinical
phenomena and imaging characteristics inherent in the FMV/MVP/MVR triad will
be best understood when reconciled with the gross morphologic,
histopathologic, and molecular characteristics of the FMV complex.

This book is written to cover the entire spectrum of FMV and its sequlae.
The inheritance patterns, genetic studies, and development of family
pedigrees; the relations of pathology and histology to FMV and clinical
functional expression; and the broad range of clinical presentation, are all
examined in depth. Complications (i.e. infective endocarditis,
thromboembolic phenomena, arrhythmias, progressive MVR, chordae tendinae
rupture, and left atrial and left ventricular dysfunction) are discussed in
detail. Insights into the mechanisms of circulatory abnormalities and their
impact on clinical phenomenon are also explored. Therapeutic approaches,
including medical management and the indications and role of cardiac
surgery, are highlighted. Finally, a clinically useful classification for
FMV/MVP patients is proposed.

This book will be of interest to all cardiologists, including clinical
investigators, morphologists, physiologists, pathologists, surgeons, cardiac
imagers, internists, family physicians, pediatricians, and nurse clinicians,
and importantly, to discerning patients and individuals in search of
information about the FMV/MVP/MVR triad.