Refractory ventricular arrhythmias in a patient with mitral valve prolapse. Successful control with mitral valve replacement.

A 35-year-old woman with proven mitral valve prolapse developed life threatening ventricular arrhythmias which were refractory to medical therapy. She had one episode of "cardiac arrest" presumably due to ventricular tachycardia or possibly ventricular fibrillation, and was successfully resuscitated with closed chest compression. Mitral valve replacement resulted in dramatic control of the ventricular arrhythmias. Over a period of three years following the operation, she has been able to resume an active life with occasional ventricular premature beats and no further episodes of ventricular tachyarrhythmias.