[A case of traumatic tricuspid regurgitation with bilateral pericardial laceration]

A case of traumatic tricuspid regurgitation with bilateral pericardial lacerations is presented. The patient was a 68-year-old male with a chief complaint of dyspnea on exertion, who had had chest contusion in an automobile accident 17 years before. Two dimensional echocardiography demonstrated a systolic prolapse of the tricuspid anterior leaflet resulting in massive regurgitation. The right atrial v wave was 25 mmHg. Intraoperative findings were as follows: Three healed tears of 4-6 cm long were present in the both sides of the pericardium. The chordae tendineae of the anterior leaflet were ruptured. The tricuspid valve was replaced with a SJM valve prosthesis. To our knowledge, no case of combined tricuspid insufficiency and bilateral pericardial laceration resulting from blunt injury has ever been reported.