Successful treatment of intraoperative rupture of the left ventricle after mitral valve replacement: report of a case and review of the literature.

A case of intraoperative left ventricular rupture following mitral valve replacement, promptly detected and successfully treated, is reported, and the literature concerning 19 other patients successfully treated for this complication is reviewed. Routine inspection of the posterior atrioventricular groove and left ventricular wall is to be recommended after prosthetic mitral valve replacement and before cardiopulmonary bypass is discontinued, to allow recognition of the early signs of ventricular rupture.