Surgical correction of complete rupture of the anterior papillary muscle.

A 59-year-old patient with postinfarction complete rupture of the anterior papillary muscle and massive mitral regurgitation is described. The diagnosis was suspected clinically and confirmed by echocardiography and cardiac catheterization. Two months after the acute episode, the patient underwent a valve-conserving procedure by reattachment of the papillary muscle to the left ventricular wall. The patient is well and asymptomatic 3 years after operation with evidence of good anatomical and functional correction of the mitral valve lesion. This type of repair should be possible in selected patients with this lesion.