Mitral regurgitation differential diagnosis


 * Associate Editor-In-Chief: ; Varun Kumar, M.B.B.S.; Lakshmi Gopalakrishnan, M.B.B.S.; Mohammed A. Sbeih, M.D. [mailto:msbeih@perfuse.org]

Overview
The blowing holosystolic murmur of mitral regurgitation must be distinguished from tricuspid regurgitation and a ventricular septal defect.

Physical Examination
All the three cardiac conditions have holosystolic murmur on auscultation. But they can be differentiated by characteristics of the murmur detailed below:

Echocardiography
The above three cardiac conditions can also be differentiated more definitively using echocardiography where the echogenicity of blood flow across the defective valves or septum can be visualized and the severity can be quantified.