Highly acute course of ruptured papillary muscle of the tricuspid valve in a case of blunt chest trauma.
The sudden onset of tricuspid insufficiency following a blunt chest trauma is extremely rare. We operated on a young woman in a state of severe shock following a riding accident, in whom complete severing of the papillary muscle of the posterior tricuspid leaflet had occurred. The valvuloplasty operation itself and the postoperative course ran smoothly, apart from a late pericardial tamponade which required surgical revision. In accordance with other reported cases we believe that traumatic tricuspid insufficiency is still a very underestimated pathological occurrence. Echocardiographic examination should therefore be regarded as an essential standard procedure in all cases of blunt chest injury.
Chares
M
M
Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Municipal Hospital, Dortmund, Germany.
Lamm
P
P
Leischik
R
R
Lenz
G
G
Steinmann
E H
EH
Polonius
M J
MJ
D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000150:complications*; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006335:Heart Injuries / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D010210:Papillary Muscles / Q000293:injuries*; D014262:Tricuspid Valve Insufficiency / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D014949:Wounds, Nonpenetrating / Q000150:complications*