A rare complication of posterior myocardial infarction: Anterolateral papillary muscle rupture

Abstract

Papillary muscle rupture is one of the fatal complications of acute myocardial infarction. The incidence of anterolateral papillary muscle (APM) rupture is 6-12 times lower than that of posteromedial papillary muscle (PPM) rupture. This is because APM has a dual blood supply from left anterior descending aretry (LAD) and left circumflex artery (LCX), whereas the blood supply of PPM is maintained only by the posterior descending artery (1). In case of the presence of a lesion in both LCX and LAD, APM rupture can be seen. We present a case with an example of this pathophysiologic mechanism, which will provide insights into the features of patients with the Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and APM rupture.