Mitral regurgitation due to papillary muscle rupture following blunt chest trauma is a rare pathology. Sudden onset severe mitral regurgitation may cause death due to heart failure if the surgical repair is delayed. Twenty-eight year old male patient, who was previously admitted to another hospital due to sudden onset of shortness of breath, fifteen days after a history of blunt chest trauma and received treatment for bronchopneumonia, was referred to our clinic because of persistence of symptoms despite treatment and detection of a cardiac murmur. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed severe mitral regurgitation, prolapsus of mitral anterior leaflet and mobile echodense mass on the chordae connected to the anterior leaflet. In the intraoperative inspection, rupture in the anterolateral and posteromedial papillary muscle groups related to the anterior leaflet was detected. Patient received a mechanical prosthetic valve implantation and is free of any problems on the follow-up.

Keywords : Mitral regurgitation; papillary muscle rupture; blunt chest trauma