Nicod P, Corbett J, Leachman R, Croyle P H, Reich S, Peshock R, Farkas R, Rude R, Buja L M, Mills L, Lewis S E, Willerson J T
Am J Med. 1982 Nov;73(5):765-8. doi: 10.1016/0002-9343(82)90421-1.
Myocardial rupture following infarction usually is an acute and dramatic event. Rarely, it may take a subacute course, allowing surgical treatment. We report herein a case of subacute rupture of the heart in a 54 year old patient with acute myocardial infarction. The rupture was diagnosed by the appearance of a radiopaque halo around the heart during radionuclide ventriculography. The patient subsequently underwent surgical resection of a large anterolateral aneurysm and a 2 inch long rupture of the myocardium and survived. Clinical suspicion, prompt diagnosis, and surgical intervention are important in the management of this relatively unusual complication of infarction.
