A case of left ventricular aneurysm caused by localized myocardial infarction

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Medical Imaging
• Cardiac Surgery

Background:

• Unstable angina pectoris can indicate underlying coronary artery disease.
• Percutaneous coronary intervention is a common treatment for acute coronary syndromes.
• Cardiac aneurysms, though rare, can be a complication of myocardial infarction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report a case of incidentally discovered true cardiac aneurysm.
• To illustrate the diagnostic utility of multimodal imaging in characterizing cardiac abnormalities.
• To highlight the management and follow-up of asymptomatic cardiac aneurysms.

Main Methods:

• Left ventriculography to visualize cardiac structures.
• Echocardiography to assess wall motion and cavity characteristics.
• Myocardial contrast echocardiography to evaluate myocardial perfusion.
• Myocardial scintigraphy for localized defect assessment.

Main Results:

• Incidental finding of an anterior wall cardiac cavity during left ventriculography.
• Echocardiography revealed a dyskinetic cavity wall with reduced radial strain.
• Myocardial contrast echocardiography demonstrated low perfusion in the cavity wall.
• Myocardial scintigraphy confirmed a localized anterior wall defect.

Conclusions:

• A true cardiac aneurysm was diagnosed in a patient with asymptomatic myocardial infarction.
• Multimodal imaging techniques effectively characterized the aneurysm's features.
• Serial echocardiography is crucial for monitoring asymptomatic cardiac aneurysms.