New-onset heart failure caused by spontaneous papillary muscle rupture: Diagnosis with dual-source computed tomographic coronary angiography

Papillary muscle rupture is a rare cardiac emergency most frequently associated with acute myocardial infarction or blunt chest trauma. Once papillary muscle rupture has been diagnosed, urgent mitral valve replacement is indicated to correct the patient’s hemodynamic deterioration. Here we present the case of a patient with spontaneous, complete posterior papillary muscle rupture in the absence of significant coronary artery disease, diagnosed with dual-source computed tomographic (CT) coronary angiography. To our knowledge, this is the first reported establishment of this diagnosis with cardiac CT.

Full text available on: J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2009 Jan;137(1):e19-21

Authors:
Heon Lee, Balazs Ruzsics, U. Joseph Schoepf, Edward A. Stewart, Philip Costello, James L. Glenn, John S. Ikonomidis