What is the most important diagnostic feature of mitral regurgitation?
Apical location of the murmur is the most important feature of mitral regurgitation. Second is the blowing quality in chronic mitral regurgitation (MR). Third is the timing – chronic rheumatic MR is pansystolic while that in mitral valve prolapse can be mid or late systolic. Conduction pattern is variable depending on the etiology. Classical rheumatic MR is conducted to the axilla and back, while that of papillary muscle dysfunction is conducted medially to the base of the heart.
