The missing pieces in the puzzle of arrhythmic mitral valve prolapse: papillary muscles, mitral anulus disjunction and myocardial scarring

Mitral valve prolapse (MVP) is a common and mostly benign heart valve disease, affecting 2 –3% of the general population1. However, MVP has been associated with life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death (SCD) in a small subset of patients, leading to the concept of malignant arrhythmic MVP (2-4). Recent studies have shed light into the prevalence and the pathophy siology of arrhythmic MVP. Among the various hypotheses, myocardial fibrosis has been implicated as an arrhythmic substrate in MVP patients (2).
Source: Heart Rhythm - Category: Cardiology Authors: Source Type: research