Multi-modality imaging of an adult parachute mitral valve.

A parachute abnormality of the mitral valve is an extremely rare finding in adults. It is usually seen as part of Shone's complex. The authors present multimodality imaging from a case of adult parachute abnormality of the mitral valve to illustrate and explain features such as the characteristic "pear" shape of the valve and "doming" of the subvalvular apparatus. The solitary papillary muscle that defines the condition may be difficult to identify on transthoracic echocardiography, but redundancy of the chordae is a key echocardiographic feature in the adult form of the condition.