title: An autopsy case of incomplete left atrial rupture following left atrial infarction associated with left ventricular myocardial infarction.
abstract: We report a 78-year-old woman with incomplete left atrial rupture following left atrial infarction associated with left ventricular myocardial infarction. An autopsy revealed a hemopericardium. A large hematoma was observed in the posterior wall of the left atrium and a few small tears were found on the same wall. Near its origin, the left circumflex artery was severely sclerotic and completely occluded by fresh thrombus. Histologic examination revealed that large intramural hematoma longitudinally dissected the inner third of the posterior wall of the left atrium, and transversely dissected through the necrotic tissue to the pericardial sac to result in rupture. Coagulation necrosis and intramyocardial hemorrhage were also observed throughout the entire left atrium and the postseptolateral wall of the left ventricle.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chida
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ohkawa
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nagashima
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Imai
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kuboki
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maeda
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Watanabe
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000473:pathology*; D006342:Heart Rupture, Post-Infarction / Q000473:pathology*; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000473:pathology; D006406:Hematoma / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000473:pathology; D010490:Pericardial Effusion / Q000473:pathology