Thickening of the mitral valve leaflets is usually diffuse, but most pronounced at the leaflet edges. With myxomatous degeneration, the mitral valve becomes stiffer and distorted. The conformation of the valve remains constant throughout the cardiac cycle. Normally, the mitral valve leaflets do not extend beyond a line across the mitral annulus in systole. In dogs with DMVD, the mitral leaflets prolapse towards the left atrium during systole. Colour Doppler can be used to demonstrate the jet of mitral regurgitation. The size of the jet is related to the severity of mitral regurgitation. Most mitral regurgitation jets in DMVD are eccentric. | Thickening of the mitral valve leaflets is usually diffuse, but most pronounced at the leaflet edges. With myxomatous degeneration, the mitral valve becomes stiffer and distorted. The conformation of the valve remains constant throughout the cardiac cycle. Normally, the mitral valve leaflets do not extend beyond a line across the mitral annulus in systole. In dogs with DMVD, the mitral leaflets prolapse towards the left atrium during systole. Colour Doppler can be used to demonstrate the jet of mitral regurgitation. The size of the jet is related to the severity of mitral regurgitation. Most mitral regurgitation jets in DMVD are eccentric. |