Bicycle Exercise Echocardiography to Assess Physiological Significance of Mitral Annular Calcification

Many people develop calcium deposits in the heart as they get older. One of the common places for this to occur is the mitral annulus, the band of tissue that supports the mitral valve (one of four heart valves). The purpose of this study is to examine effects of these deposits (termed mitral annular calcification or "MAC") on a person's ability to perform exercise. The research team will use ultrasound of the heart (Doppler echocardiography) to study people with MAC while they exercise on a specially designed bicycle.