Mitral Valve Prolapse: Novel Assessment With Real-Time 3D Echocardiography

Abstract

Mitral valve prolapse (MVP) is the most common cause of
mitral regurgitation and the most frequent reason for mitral
valve surgery in Europe. The most traditional method
for mitral valve evaluation has been two-dimensional (2D)
transthoracic echocardiography. However, soon after its development,
intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography
(TEE) became the preferable imaging method for both
the perioperative decision-making process and postoperative
evaluation after mitral valve surgery. Improved imaging modalities
and implementation of real-time 3D TEE provided en
face views of the mitral valve from the left atrial perspective,
and this method soon became the new gold standard for the
diagnosis of MVP. Modern 3D echocardiographic imaging
provides three general modalities: volume rendered, biplane
or multi-plane, and color Doppler imaging. In this report, we
describe the clinical implications of three-dimensional (3D)
TEE in mitral valve reconstruction after MVP.