How Is Mitral Valve Prolapse Diagnosed?

Mitral valve prolapse (MVP) most often is found during a routine physical exam when your doctor uses a stethoscope to listen to your heart.

Your doctor listens for a certain "click" and/or murmur. Stretched valve flaps, as seen in MVP, can make a clicking sound as they shut. If the valve is leaking blood back into the atrium, a murmur or whooshing sound often can be heard.

However, these abnormal heart sounds may come and go. Thus, your doctor may not hear them at the time of an exam, even if you have MVP. As a result, you also may have diagnostic tests and procedures to diagnose MVP.

Diagnostic Tests and Procedures

Echocardiography

Echocardiography (echo) is the most useful test for diagnosing MVP. This painless test uses sound waves to create a moving picture of your heart. An echo provides information about the size and shape of your heart and how well your heart chambers and valves are working.

The test also can identify areas of heart muscle that aren't contracting normally due to poor blood flow or injury to the heart muscle. In MVP, an echo is used to look for prolapse of the mitral valve flaps and for backflow of blood through the leaky valve.

There are several types of echo, including a stress echo. A stress echo is done before and after a stress test. During a stress test, you exercise or take medicine (given by your doctor) to make your heart work hard and beat fast.

A stress echo usually is done to find out whether you have decreased blood flow to your heart (a sign of coronary heart disease, also called coronary artery disease).

An echo also can be done by placing a tiny probe down your esophagus to get a closer look at the mitral valve. The esophagus is the passage leading from your mouth to your stomach.

The probe takes sound wave pictures of your heart. This form of echo is called a transesophageal (tranz-ih-sof-uh-JEE-ul) echocardiogram, or TEE.

Doppler Ultrasound

A Doppler ultrasound is part of an echo test. A Doppler ultrasound is used to show the speed and direction of blood flow through the mitral valve.

Other Tests

Other tests that can help diagnose MVP are:

• A chest x ray. This test is used to look for fluid in your lungs or to see whether your heart is enlarged.
• An EKG (electrocardiogram). An EKG is a simple test that records your heart’s electrical activity. An EKG can show how fast your heart is beating, whether its rhythm is steady or irregular, and the strength and timing of electrical signals as they pass through your heart.