title: Isolated papillary muscle rupture complicating acute pancreatitis.
abstract: Papillary muscle rupture in the absence of coronary stenoses is a rare event. An isolated infarction of the papillary muscle is involved in most cases, but the pathogenesis is still debated. We describe an anterolateral papillary muscle rupture complicating acute pancreatitis in a patient without significant coronary stenoses and with evidence of coronary spasm. This suggests that an increased susceptibility to coronary spasm and thrombosis, triggered by an acute systemic inflammatory response, may represent a mechanism of selective papillary muscle infarction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, S. Maria Annunziata Hospital, ASL 10, Florence, Italy. pcballo@tin.it
authors.forename: Piercarlo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ballo
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mangialavori
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Betti
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Giunti
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Meucci
authors.forename: Leandro
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chiodi
authors.forename: Alfredo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zuppiroli
mesh_terms: D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D017548:Echocardiography, Transesophageal; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D006341:Heart Rupture / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019283:Pancreatitis, Acute Necrotizing / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D010210:Papillary Muscles