Rupture of posteromedial papillary muscle as a mechanism of death in dilated cardiomyopathy

The pathogenesis of mitral regurgitation in dilated cardiomyopathy is ascribed to several mechanisms. The authors describe the case of an adult male with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy who developed myocardial infarction in the absence of coronary atherosclerosis and died from acute lung edema following rupture of a papillary muscle of the left ventricle. The possibility of coronary embolism could not be ruled out.