What is the most common cause of systolic clicks?

What is the most common cause of systolic clicks?

• A. Mitral valve prolapse
• B. Aortic stenosis
• C. Tricuspid regurgitation
• D. Pulmonary valve stenosis

Answer: (A)

Systolic clicks are classically produced by mitral valve prolapse. In MVP, the mitral valve leaflets are abnormally floppy and billow backward into the left atrium during systole. When the tense chordae and leaflets snap taut as they prolapse, a brief high-pitched click is heard early in systole. The timing of the click changes with hemodynamics: standing or doing Valsalva (which lowers venous return and LV volume) makes the click occur earlier and often louder, while squatting (increasing LV volume) delays it. MVP can be followed by a late systolic murmur of mitral regurgitation. The other conditions listed typically produce murmurs or sounds of different timing and don’t feature the classic systolic click of MVP.

Systolic clicks are classically produced by mitral valve prolapse. In MVP, the mitral valve leaflets are abnormally floppy and billow backward into the left atrium during systole. When the tense chordae and leaflets snap taut as they prolapse, a brief high-pitched click is heard early in systole. The timing of the click changes with hemodynamics: standing or doing Valsalva (which lowers venous return and LV volume) makes the click occur earlier and often louder, while squatting (increasing LV volume) delays it. MVP can be followed by a late systolic murmur of mitral regurgitation. The other conditions listed typically produce murmurs or sounds of different timing and don’t feature the classic systolic click of MVP.