Echocardiographic findings of ventricular septal rupture in acute myocardial infarction.

Echocardiograms were recorded both before and after the clinical appearance of an autopsy-confirmed interventricular septal rupture in a patient with an acute myocardial infarction. The major findings were related to the upper portion of the interventricular septum. Before rupture, this portion of the septum was relatively akinetic with a slight anterior motion during systole, whereas after rupture there was a marked increase in the amplitude of septal motion with abrupt posterior motion occurring with the onset of ventricular diastole.