Assessing functional mitral regurgitation with exercise echocardiography: Rationale and clinical applications

Abstract

Secondary or functional mitral regurgitation (FMR) represents an increasing feature of mitral valve disease characterized by abnormal function of anatomically normal leaflets in the context of the impaired function of remodelled left ventricles. The anatomic and pathophysiological basis of FMR are briefly analyzed; in addition, the role of exercise echocardiography for the assessment of FMR is discussed in view of its relevance to clinical practice. © 2009 Bigi et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.