[Secondary prolapse of heart valves]

Secondary valve prolapse emerges in a variety of heart diseases: coronary heart disease, dilated and hypertrophic cardiomyopathies, acquired valvular heart disease, infectious endocarditis, pulmonary hypertension, etc. Valve prolapse results from dilation of valvular fibrous rings, dysfunction of papillary muscles, mitral lesions in valvulitides. Secondary valve prolapse in dilatation of valvular opening entails manifest disorders of systemic and intracardiac hemodynamics except for cases of aortic root dilatation. In decreased valvular opening secondary valve prolapse is not associated with considerable shifts in hemodynamics. Secondary valve prolapse suggests primary structural and functional defects in the heart rather than promotes the development of circulatory insufficiency.