Psychiatric Implications of the Mitral Valve Prolapse Syndrome (MVPS)

Abstract
The mitral valve prolapse syndrome (MVPS) is an infrequent outcome of mitral valve prolapse, a common and usually benign structural abnormality. Psychiatric patients often present with symptoms indistinguishable from MVPS, knowledge of which is thus essential for differential diagnosis. Even when prolapse of the mitral valve is detected, the symptoms may be variously determined by both physical and emotional factors. Four illustrative case histories are presented.