This case highlights that mitral valve prolapse can be a potential etiology for ischemic stroke in young patients without other predisposing factors.
MVP may cause stroke in young adults without other risks; hypothesis-generating and should not change practice.
A 30-year-old man was admitted to the hospital with a history of sudden onset of bizarre behavior and difficulty in speaking that initially was attributed to drug intoxication. Examination disclosed a confused young man with receptive and expressive aphasia. A late systolic murmur was heard in the mitral area and echocardiography confirmed the presence of mitral valve prolapse. A computed tomographic scan of the head and cerebral angiography showed abnormalities consistent with an infarct of the left temporo-occipital region. Since no other predisposing factors were present, this patient's stroke was probably related to mitral valve prolapse.
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Robert E. Schatz (1982) studied this question.
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