ABSTRACT
Myocardial rupture is a major complication after acute myocardial infarction. With complete rupture of the free left ventricular wall cardiac tamponade occurs with fatal outcome in most cases. With partial rupture, however, hemorrhage is slower, allowing days or weeks for diagnosis. Survival of these patients strongly depends on early recognition of this complication followed by immediate surgical intervention. Echocardiography is the diagnostic tool of choice to detect myocardial rupture with consecutive hemopericardium but diagnosis remains difficult even if suspected. We describe the case of a patient with inferior infarction who presented with cardiogenic shock, echocardiographic signs of pericardial effusion and abnormal motion and myocardial irregularities of the inferior wall. With Doppler echocardiography no flow across the wall was detected. Left heart contrast echocardiography confirmed the diagnosis of suspected myocardial rupture by clear deliniation of the defect. Immediate surgical repair was successfully performed in this patient with favorable long-term outcome. Thus, echocardiography early after acute myocardial infarction is useful in detecting subsequent complications and the use of contrast echocardiography should be considered in suspected myocardial rupture.
