Welcome to our Mitral Valve Prolapse Summary Page. This page provides a definition, a sample mitral valve prolapse heart sound as well as links to other auscultation recordings, lessons and interactive guides.
Mitral valve prolapse occurs when the two mitral valve flaps do not close evenly. It is commonly caused by small growths of collagen on the valve leaflets. In most cases, it’s harmless.
Many patients with mitral valve prolapse have no symptoms. When symptoms are present, they can include:
Using the play button on the torso, you can listen to mitral valve prolapse. In this example, it is a medium pitched, diamond shaped murmur which begins right after a mid systolic click and runs to the end of systole. The intensity of the murmur increases and its starting point begins earlier in systole as left ventricular volume decreases (going from supine to standing). The intensity of the murmur and its starting position move later in systole as the volume increases (by raising the legs while in the supine position). The mid-systolic click also moves in tandem with the murmur.
We have prepared an animation video of mitral valve prolapse. By following the link below, you can see that the murmur is caused by the prolapse of the posterior mitral valve leaflet. The murmur is generated by turbulent flow from the left ventricle into the left atrium.
Our heart sounds reference guide has additional patient recordings of mitral valve prolapse, including a mild case.