Not Your "Run-of-the-Mill" Mitral Regurgitation

MITRAL REGURGITATION (MR) is caused by functional or anatomic impairment of 1 or more components of the mitral valve (MV) apparatus, including the left ventricle (LV), papillary muscles, chordae tendineae, leaflets, and annulus. Functional, or secondary, MR is thought to arise from LV dysfunction and remodeling with papillary muscle displacement, which cause leaflet tethering and limit valve closure.1,2 For efficient and sustained leaflet apposition during systole, synchronized timing of leaflet coaptation is required.