“Mitral Valve Prolapse Diagram… Do You Have One?” Asks Tanya
I could be wrong but I think the cliche goes something like, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” While I’m not a fan of cliches, I am a fan of this one - especially when it comes to understanding heart valve surgery.
Before my surgery, seeing pictures and diagrams helped me digest (i) my diagnosis and (ii) my need for aortic valve surgery. I’ve always been a visual person but understanding the structural problems of aortic stenosis was very helpful.
That’s why I really appreciate the email I just received from Tanya. She writes, “Hi Adam - My dad is scheduled for mitral valve prolapse surgery on Tuesday. I think I understand what the problem is. He’s had valve regurgitation symptoms for years. But, I was curious to know if you had any diagrams that show the physical defect of a mitral valve prolapse?”
I guess Tanya and I are somewhat similar - seeing things helps. With that said, here are two pictures which illustrate the challenges when mitral leaflets do not open-and-close properly. The first diagram shows a side-view of the heart and mitral valve prolapse.
Here, in the second diagram, you can see a top-down view of a mitral valve prolapse:
Considering the two pictures above… I guess, according to the cliche, I just saved myself 2,000 words. Phew! 
Keep on tickin!
P.S. To leave a comment, please click here.
About The Author: Adam Pick is a double, heart valve surgery patient and author of The Patient’s Guide To Heart Valve Surgery, a unique book which integrates the clinical facts of heart valve surgery with the personal experiences of 78 former valve surgery patients. To learn more about Adam and his heart valve surgery book, click here.
- Previous: Danny Thrall, Fordham Swimmer, Recovers From Bicuspid Valve Surgery
- Next: "What’s The Worst Thing About The Hospital?" Asks Barbara
Email Friend
Leave Comment
Print
Subscribe
February 20th, 2009 at 2:16 pm
Adam, I can’t begin to tell you how valuable your book and this blog are to me. I am anticipating minimally invasive mitral valve repair surgery in the next few months. I have an appointment scheduled with one surgeon and two more surgeon consultations yet to be scheduled based on their review of my records and their getting back with me.