Impressive echocardiographic images of a rare pathology: aneurysm of the mitral valve - report of two cases and review of the literature

Aneurysm of the mitral valve [AMV] is rarely reported. The etiology of this unusual pathology is commonly attributed to aortic valve endocarditis [AVE] with aortic regurgitation [AR] or connective tissue disease. We present two recent cases of AMV with good correlation between pre-operative trans-esophageal echocardiography [TEE], intra-operative real-time 3-dimensional echocardiography [RT-3D-Echo] and surgical findings. The importance of diligent surveillance by TEE in patients with AVE for occurrence of AMV is emphasized. The literature on this topic is briefly reviewed