ABSTRACT
Clinical characteristics of 60 (41 males, 19 females) patients with echocardiographically proven mitral valve prolapse were analysed, with special interest in the associated thoracic skeletal abnormalities. There was a male preponderance (2.2:1) and 91.7% of patients were symptomatic--atypical chest pain, palpitations, exertional dyspnoea and easy fatiguability being the major symptoms. Sixty seven percent had an asthenic body habitus, and 55% had high-arched palate. Thoracic scoliosis (55%), straight back syndrome (50%), flat chest (46.7%), and pectus excavatum (20%) were seen in association with the condition, with 81.7% having any one or combination of these features. Lateral chest radiography showed pancaking of heart shadow in 48.3%. Isolated non-ejection systolic click(s) was the major cardiac auscultatory finding (61.7%), while 60% showed pansystolic prolapse on echocardiography. Electrocardiographic ST-T-U changes in the inferior and/or lateral chest leads were seen in 46.7%, while 16.7% had cardiac arrhythmias. None had infective endocarditis, heart failure or cerebral embolic events. The findings corroborate the view that thoracic skeletal anomalies may be regarded as non-auscultatory features of this syndrome.