[Two-dimensional echocardiography in ventricular septal rupture after acute myocardial infarction]

We studied the echocardiographic findings of 11 patients with proven ventricular septal defect following acute myocardial infarction. There were seven men and four women whose ages ranged from 48 to 77 years, with an average of 66 years. Nine patients had acute anterior and two acute inferior myocardial infarctions. Two-dimensional echocardiography (2DE) was performed for eight patients and M-mode echocardiography for all 11 patients. In all eight patients with apical four-chamber view, in whom four had additional apical short-axis view, the septal defect was directly visualized, but it was not detected by M-mode echocardiography. The defect was visualized in the apical region of the septum in all eight patients by the apical four-chamber view. The anteroapical region of the septum was the site in three with anterior infarction and the inferoapical region in one with inferior infarction by the apical short-axis view. In five of the eight patients who underwent 2DE, surgical or autopsy confirmation of the defects was obtained, with a complete agreement with the echocardiographic findings. In two patients with echocardiographic findings of septal defects, the perforations were confirmed at surgery. Two cases with aneurysmal bulges of thin septum into the right ventricle had the thin necrotic muscle in the anteroapical regions. One patient with a cystic bulge into the septum showed an irregular tear in the inferoapical region of the septum at surgery. In eight patients, the left ventricular wall motion was assessed by 2DE. Six patients revealed hyperkinetic motion in the non-infarcted areas of the basal septum or posterior wall, and these cases had good prognosis. We concluded that 2DE is a sensitive, prompt and safe technique for diagnosing and observing the risk of complicating septal defects in acute myocardial infarction. In this respect, both the apical four-chamber and short-axis views should be utilized for the topographic diagnosis of the defect.