title: Mitral valve prolapse as a risk factor for TIA. A study with echocardiography and dynamic ECG.
abstract: The present study has been devoted to the analysis of 120 patients presenting with reversible focal cerebral ischemia without conventional signs of cardiopathy and/or relevant atherosclerotic disease. In 77% of the patients vascular risk factors, such as hypertension or hyperlipemia, were present. In 23% of the patients, no abnormal finding was discovered at clinical, hematochemical and cardiological examinations. In these patients a further cardiological evaluation was performed with echocardiography. Dynamic electrocardiography was performed in 52 patients. Echocardiography and dynamic electrocardiography revealed the occurrence of 6 cases of mitral valve prolapse (MVP), 2 cases of frequent premature ventricular beats, and 1 proximal atrial arrhythmia. All 6 cases of MVP were detected in the subgroups of patients without vascular risk factors. In our patients younger than 45 years, the relative frequency of MVP attains 21.5%. This study confirms that MVP has to be regarded as a risk factor for focal cerebral ischemia in young patients.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000175:diagnosis; D004452:Echocardiography; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D002546:Ischemic Attack, Transient / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008945:Mitral Valve Prolapse / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D012306:Risk