Pseudoaneurysm of the left ventricle progressing from a subepicardial aneurysm
H Koito1, C Nakamura, J Suzuki
1Second Department of Internal Medicine/Cardiovascular Center, Kansai Medical University, Moriguchi, Japan. koitoh@takii.kmu.ac.jp
Insights
A subepicardial aneurysm progressed to a large left ventricular pseudoaneurysm in a patient with myocardial infarction. Surgical repair was successful, indicating this condition is treatable.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Cardiac Surgery
- Diagnostic Imaging
Background:
- A 56-year-old male presented with inferior myocardial infarction and a rapidly growing left ventricular pseudoaneurysm.
- The pseudoaneurysm developed from a pre-existing subepicardial aneurysm over six months.
Observation:
- Multiple imaging modalities confirmed myocardial disruption at the pseudoaneurysm neck with abnormal systolic and diastolic blood flow.
- Coronary angiography showed critical stenosis in the atrioventricular nodal branch of the right coronary artery.
Findings:
- Surgical exploration revealed a 1.5-cm orifice between the left ventricle and the pseudoaneurysm, with the aneurysmal wall lacking myocardial tissue.
- Pathological examination confirmed the absence of myocardial elements in the aneurysmal wall.
Implications:
- Subepicardial aneurysms can progress to large, potentially rupturing pseudoaneurysms, posing a significant clinical risk.
- Surgical intervention for such pseudoaneurysms is feasible and can lead to favorable outcomes.
Abstract:
A 56-year-old man presented with an inferior myocardial infarction and a huge pseudoaneurysm below the inferior surface of the left ventricle, which had progressed from a small subepicardial aneurysm over a 6-month period. Transthoracic echocardiography, Doppler color flow images, radionuclide angiocardiography, magnetic resonance imaging and contrast ventriculography all revealed an abrupt disruption of the myocardium at the neck of the pseudoaneurysm, where the diameter of the orifice was smaller than the aneurysm itself, and abnormal blood flows from the left ventricle to the cavity through the orifice with an expansion of the cavity in systole and from the cavity to the left ventricle with the deflation of the cavity in diastole. Coronary angiography revealed 99% stenosis at the atrioventricular nodal branch of the right coronary artery. At surgery the pericardium was adherent to the aneurysmal wall and a 1.5-cm orifice between the aneurysm and the left ventricle was seen. Pathological examination revealed no myocardial elements in the aneurysmal wall. The orifice was closed and the postoperative course was uneventful. Over-intense physical activity as a construction worker was considered to be the cause of the large pseudoaneurysm developing from the subepicardial aneurysm. These findings indicate that a subepicardial aneurysm may progress to a larger pseudoaneurysm, which has a propensity to rupture, however, it can be surgically repaired.
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