Diagnosis

Your doctor may evaluate your signs and symptoms and conduct a physical examination. In a physical examination, your doctor will likely listen for a heart murmur, as this can be a sign of a mitral valve condition. Your doctor may order several tests to diagnose your condition.

Tests may include:

• Echocardiography. Sound waves are used to produce video images of your heart in motion. This test helps your doctor get a close look at the mitral valve and how well it's working. Doctors may also use a 3D echocardiogram or another type of echocardiogram called a transesophageal echocardiogram. In this test, a small transducer attached to the end of a tube is inserted down the tube leading from your mouth to your stomach (esophagus). This test gives your doctor a closer look at the mitral valve than is possible with a regular echocardiogram.
• Electrocardiogram (ECG). Wires (electrodes) attached to pads on your skin measure electrical signals from your heart. An ECG can detect enlarged chambers of your heart, heart disease and abnormal heart rhythms.
• Chest X-ray. A chest X-ray can help your doctor to determine whether the heart is enlarged, which can be a sign of certain types of heart valve disease. A chest X-ray can also help determine the condition of your lungs.
• Cardiac MRI. A cardiac MRI uses magnetic fields and radio waves to create detailed images of your heart. This test may be done to determine the severity of your condition.
• Exercise tests or stress tests. Different exercise tests help measure your activity tolerance and monitor your heart's response to exercise. If you are unable to exercise, medications to mimic the effect of exercise on your heart may be used.
• Cardiac catheterization. In this procedure, a doctor threads a thin tube (catheter) through a blood vessel in your arm or groin to an artery in your heart and injects dye through the catheter. This makes the artery visible on an X-ray and provides your doctor with a detailed picture of your heart arteries. Cardiac catheterization isn't often used to diagnose mitral valve disease, but it may be used if other tests haven't diagnosed the condition or to check to see if coronary artery disease is present.