Three-Dimensional Echocardiographic Evaluation of Indentations of the Posterior Mitral Leaflet and Their Impact on Secondary Mitral Regurgitation

Morphologic variations of the posterior mitral leaflet have been reported in both autopsy and three-dimensional (3D) echocardiographic studies, and these variations can have implications for evolving mitral valve repair approaches. A recent study assessing mitral leaflet morphologic variants showed no association of scallop variation with mitral regurgitation (MR). 1 Sweeney J. Dutta T. Sharma M. Kabra N. Ranjan P. Goldberg J. et al. Variations in mitral valve leaflet and scallop anatomy on three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography. J Am Soc Echocardiogr. 2022; 35: 77-85 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (5) Google Scholar However, the impact of naturally occurring cleft-like indentations of the posterior leaflet on jet characteristics and the severity of secondary MR is not well established.