The role of 3-dimensional echocardiography in the diagnosis and management of mitral valve disease: myxomatous valve disease.

Myxomatous mitral valve (MV) disease is a spectrum that ranges from fibroelastic deficiency to Barlow's disease. Diagnosis has been greatly aided by the use of 3-dimensional echocardiography, which improves not only the accuracy of lesion localization but also the quantification of the associated mitral regurgitation. These improvements in turn have altered MV surgical repair techniques and percutaneous interventions.