Echocardiographic features of mitral valve prolapse in Libyan patients

Echocardiographic observations in 200 subjects with mitral valve prolapse (MVP) are presented. The diagnostic criteria used were: (1) abrupt late systolic posterior motion of one or both leaflets of the mitral valve, and (2) holoor pansystolic posterior motion of 3 mm of one or both leaflets of the mitral valve. Most of the subjects were young--72% were aged less than 30 years. Prolapse of posterior leaflets was noted in 98% of subjects--69.5% late systolic, 28.5% pansystolic, and 2% had prolapse of the anterior mitral leaflet only. Mitral valve prolapse was considered to be primary--being the only abnormality in 78.5% of the subjects. In the remaining 21.5% MVP was associated with other cardiac lesions, the commonest being, atrial septal defect (2.5%), dilated aortic root (2%), bicuspid aortic valve (2%), cardiomyopathy (5%), rheumatic heart disease (4%) and ischaemic heart disease (1.5%). Mitral valve prolapse was considered to be important enough to result in haemodynamically significant mitral regurgitation in only 8% of subjects. Mitral valve prolapse was the commonest single echocardiographic abnormality (16%) observed in patients referred to this university hospital, which is the referral centre for approximately half of Libya. Although this does not indicate the prevalence of MVP in the general population, this study indicates MVP to be the commonest valvular abnormality seen in hospital practice in Libya.