Mitral valve training › Guides › Normal valve, trace MR

Normal mitral valve on echocardiography

What to look for: Thin leaflets closing at the annulus; at most a small central jet.

Key findings

• Thin, mobile leaflets that open fully in diastole and close at the level of the annular plane in systole: beyond it into the LA is prolapse, pulled below it towards the apex is tenting.
• A small, brief, central jet is common in normal hearts: report it as trace (physiological) MR.
• A normal mitral valve area is 4–6 cm².

Pitfalls

• Diagnose prolapse in long-axis views (parasternal long axis, apical 3-chamber), not in the apical 4-chamber, where the saddle-shaped annulus makes normal leaflets look as if they bulge into the LA.

In the simulator every case varies the anatomy, the jets and the measurements: watch the lesion in Learn, then grade new cases in Practice and compare your answer with the exact one.

Related

Single-scallop prolapse · Barlow disease (bileaflet prolapse) · Atrial functional MR

Educational simulation to use under the supervision of a clinical tutor — not for clinical use.