The chordae tendineae are strong, thin cords of connective tissue that attach the free edges of the mitral and tricuspid valve leaflets to the papillary muscles on the inner wall of the ventricles. Often called the heartstrings, they serve as tethers that prevent the valve leaflets from prolapsing backward into the atria when the ventricles contract. On echocardiography, the chordae tendineae can be seen as thin, linear structures extending from the valve leaflets down to the papillary muscles, and they are best visualized in the parasternal long-axis and apical views. Rupture of a chorda tendinea can cause sudden, severe valve regurgitation and is a cardiac emergency that echocardiography can rapidly diagnose.
Sonography Term