SILENT CEREBRAL INFARCT IN PATIENTS WITH MITRAL VALVE PROLAPSE

Abstract

It is still not clear whether mitral valve prolapse (MVP) is a risk factor for ischemic stroke. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether uncomplicated MVP is a risk factor for silent cerebral ischemic events. Fifty-two patients with uncomplicated MVP and 46 control subjects without MVP were included in the study. All subjects were evaluated for silent cerebral infarct (SCI) with a magnetic resonance imaging. Five (9.6%) of the patients who had MVP but no other risk factors for ischemic cerebral events had SCI. The results suggest that uncomplicated MVP is a risk factor for SCI, and that patients with MVP should receive anti-platelet-aggregating drugs.

Keywords:

• magnetic resonance imaging
• mitral valve prolapse
• silent cerebral infarct