Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 21, 2026

Estimating Bilateral Atrial Function by Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Feature Tracking in Patients with Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation
Published on: July 20, 2022
Clinically unrecognized mitral regurgitation is prevalent in lone atrial fibrillation
Sanjiv Sharma1, Joel Lardizabal, Mark Monterroso
1Sanjiv Sharma, Joel Lardizabal, Mark Monterroso, Neil Bhambi, Rohan Sharma, Rasham Sandhu, Sarabjeet Singh, Division of Cardiology, Bakersfield Heart Hospital, Bakersfield, CA 93308, United States.
Aim:
To investigate the prevalence of clinically unrecognized mitral regurgitation (MR) in lone atrial fibrillation (AF).
Methods:
We studied the prevalence and severity of MR by transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) in patients with "lone" AF as compared to a matched cohort of patients in normal sinus rhythm (NSR) undergoing TEE for other indications besides recognized valvular heart disease.
Results:
A total of 157 subjects (57 in the AF group and 100 in the NSR group) with structurally normal cardiac valves were included in the study. In the AF group, moderate MR or more was noted in 66% of the patients, mild MR in 18%, trace or no MR in 16%. In the control group, moderate MR was noted in 6% of patients, mild MR 31%, trace or no MR in 63 % of patients. Moderate MR or greater was significantly more prevalent in the AF group compared to the NSR group (66% vs 6%, P < 0.0001).
Conclusion:
Clinically unrecognized moderate MR is prevalent in "lone" AF -either as an etiologic factor leading to "lone" AF or developing after onset of AF.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Mitral Regurgitation II: Clinical Features and Diagnostic Tests
Mitral Regurgitation I: Introduction
Aortic Regurgitation II: Clinical Features and Diagnostic Tests
Aortic Regurgitation I: Introduction
Mitral Regurgitation III: Medical Management
Mitral Stenosis II: Clinical features and Diagnostic Tests

