In: Anatomy and Physiology
If someone had extra long chordae tendineae on their mitral valve this would most likely affect the valve how and why?
Chordae tendinae function is to prevent excessive movement of the Mitral valve into the left atrium. This tauts the valve when it undergoes more movement due to more Pressure exerted by the ventricle.
Extra long Chordae tendinae will provide less resistance to the mitral valve and the leaflet of mitral valve will balloon back into the left atrium during the ventricular Systole. This condition is called MITRAL VALVE PROLAPSE.
Clinical features:-
Most individuals diagnosed with mitral valve prolapse are asymptomatic. In such cases, the condition is detected incidentally by auscultation of mid-systolic clicks. Minority of patients have chest pain mimicking angina (although not exertional in nature), and a subset has dyspnea, presumably due to valvular insufficiency. Only less than 3% develop one of four serious complications: infective endocarditis, mitral insufficiency, stroke or other infarct, arrhythmias.