Arrhythmias in patients with mitral valve prolapse. Types, evaluation, and therapy.

A wide spectrum of cardiac rhythm and conduction disorders occur in patients with all types of valvular heart disease. However, certain types of valvular disease have a special predilection for arrhythmias, including atrial and ventricular tachyarrhythmias as well as bradyarrhythmias, inherent to the etiology of the condition itself. Most notable in this regard is mitral valve prolapse, in which cardiac dysrhythmia is now recognized as the complication of highest frequency. The principal purpose of this article is the delineation of the characteristics and management of rhythm disorders in the mitral valve prolapse syndrome.