title: Severe mitral regurgitation due to perforation of the mitral anterior leaflet.
abstract: We present a case of a 75-year-old male with a worsening dyspnea during the last month. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed a severe mitral regurgitation. Transesophageal echocardiography was evident of a 6 mm defect of the mitral anterior leaflet at the region of the anteromedial A1 and medial A2 scallops probably due to perforation, which caused a significant regurgitant jet as documented by the presence of a convergence flow over the 'hole'. As the patient had a prolonged fever of undetermined origin one and a half months ago, perforation of the mitral anterior leaflet must at least be considered to be of an infective origin.
authors.affiliation: Euroclinic of Athens, Athens, Greece. iliaskk@in.gr
authors.forename: Ilias
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Karabinos
authors.forename: Anastasios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Papadopoulos
authors.forename: Pavlos
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Toutouzas
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D017548:Echocardiography, Transesophageal; D004696:Endocarditis / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008943:Mitral Valve / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008944:Mitral Valve Insufficiency / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery