title: Anomalies of the left atrium and mitral valve: cords, flaps, and duplication of valve.
abstract: We studied seven hearts with abnormalities of the atrial septum of the mitral valve. Three had abnormalities of the atrial septum, characterized by a flap or a diaphragm within the left atrium. Another three cases had abnormal cords extending from the atrial septum to the anterior or the posterior mitral leaflets. A seventh case had a duplicated mitral valve. Grossly, the specific conditions among these seven hearts appeared very different: however, we believe that the origin of each anomaly can be explained by one of three developmental aberrations or a combination thereof. Although only one case was associated with severe cardiac disease, such structures may be seen during cardiac imaging or operation.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000473:pathology; D006343:Heart Septal Defects / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008943:Mitral Valve / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000473:pathology