Summary
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.
Zusammenfassung
Eine schwerwiegende Komplikation nach akutem Herzinfarkt ist die Ruptur des infarzierten Myokards. Bei einer kompletten Ruptur der freien linksventrikulären Wand kommt es akut zu einer kardialer Tamponade mit nahezu immer tödlichem Ausgang. Bei der subakuten Form infolge partieller Ruptur verläuft die Hämorrhagie langsamer, so dass Patienten mit einer gedeckten Perforation Tage bis Wochen überleben können. Das Überleben dieser Patienten hängt wesentlich ab von der raschen Diagnosestellung und chirurgischen Intervention.
Die Echokardiographie ist die Untersuchung der Wahl um Wandrupturen mit konsekutivem Hämatoperikard darzustellen. Aber nicht immer lassen sich Wanddefekte echokardiographisch eindeutig erkennen.
Wir berichten von einem Patienten mit inferiorem Myokardinfarkt, bei dem mit Hilfe von Linksherz–Echokontrastmittel die Diagnose einer partiellen Myokardwandruptur gesichert und der Patient einer raschen chirurgischen Intervention zugeführt werden konnte. Dieser Fall zeigt, dass die frühzeitige Durchführung einer Echokardiographie nach akutem Myokardinfarkt sinnvoll ist zur Erkennung von periinfarziellen Komplikationen und die Anwendung von Linksherz–Echokontrastmittel den Nachweis und die Lokalisierung einer Wandruptur ermöglichen kann.
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Wilkenshoff, U.M., Ale Abaei, A., Kuersten, B. et al. Gedeckte Perforation des linken Ventrikels nach inferiorem Myokardinfarkt. Z Kardiol 93, 624–629 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00392-004-0103-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00392-004-0103-3