Mitral Valve Prolapse

Mitral valve prolapse occurs when the mitral valve fails to close properly. A normal functioning heart has a mitral valve which closes completely during contraction of the left ventricle, thus preventing blood from flowing back into the left atrium.

However, for people with mitral valve prolapse, one or both of the mitral valve's flaps have extra tissue, which results in them bulging (also known as prolapsing) into the left atrium as the heart contracts.

This bulging may keep the valve from closing tightly, causing blood to leak backward into the left atrium, resulting in a condition called mitral valve regurgitation. This may not be an issue if the amount of blood which leaks backward is small.