Mitral valve prolapse.

Mitral valve prolapse continues to arouse considerable interest because of its worldwide prevalence, lack of unanimity in diagnostic criteria, and association with such potentially serious complications as angina-like chest pain, cardiac arrhythmias, sudden death, progressive mitral regurgitation, cerebral embolism, and infective endocarditis. This review includes a discussion of the prevalence of mitral valve prolapse around the world, a critical review of the diagnostic criteria, and a discussion of the pathophysiology of the important complications, with special emphasis on cardiac arrhythmias.