A Sandwich Technique Employing Right Ventricular Incision to Repair Posterior Ventricular Septal Rupture with Right Ventricular Wall Dissection: A Case Report

Abstract

Background: Ventricular septal rupture (VSR) leading to right ventricular (RV) wall dissection is an extremely rare and life-threatening complication of inferior myocardial infarction (MI) with posterior VSR. Its rare incidence and complex pathology make it difficult to select the appropriate surgical procedures to prevent fatalities. Case Presentation: A 68-year-old woman was transferred to our hospital because of a post-infarction VSR 12 days after symptom onset. Short-axis image obtained using transthoracic echocardiography demonstrated a large posterior VSR. Moreover, the VSR was continuous, with a large echo-free space in the posterior wall of the right ventricle. Color echocardiography showed blood flowing into the echo-free space through the septal defect and blood flowing out into the RV lumen. Coronary angiography revealed complete occlusion of the second segment of the right coronary artery. Thus, dissection of the posterior wall of the right ventricle that continued into the RV lumen was considered to have been caused by the posterior VSR caused by an inferior MI. The patient underwent urgent surgery to repair the VSR using the sandwich double-patch technique by making a posterior RV incision that was repaired using a third patch. No additional procedure was required to block the flow from the cavity of the RV wall dissection into the RV lumen. Postoperative echocardiography and contrast-enhanced computed tomography demonstrated that the VSR was closed securely and the RV wall dissection was almost completely thrombosed. Conclusion: In this case, a patient with a posterior VSR and RV wall dissection was successfully treated using the sandwich double-patch technique with a posterior RV incision. No additional procedure may be needed for RV wall dissection when a secure VSR repair is complete; however, close follow-up is essential to improve the long-term prognosis.