Mitral regurgitation due to lupus endocarditis treated with valve replacement

A murmur of mitral regurgitation developed in a 20-year-old woman with a 2-year history of systemic lupus erythematosus. Echocardiography revealed thickening of both valve leaflets and abnormal diastolic motion of the posterior one, confirming the diagnosis of mitral endocarditis. The mitral regurgitation progressed to cause congestive heart failure, which was refractory to drug therapy but was effectively treated with mitral valve replacement.