[Ultrasonic association between false tendons and ventricular aneurysm. Apropos of 2 cases]

The authors report 2 clinical cases of ventricular aneurysm associated with a false tendon attached to the neck of the aneurysm. The first patient had no signs of false tendon before myocardial infarction. When the aneurysm developed, a false tendon was observed at its neck; a second false tendon attached to the first was also seen and appeared to have ruptured. The second patient had a right ventricular aneurysm with the same appearances of false tendon. These two cases suggested that the formation of an aneurysm might project a common muscular band into the ventricular cavity giving electrocardiographic appearances of a false tendon. We observed this association in 6 out of 23 cases of ventricular aneurysms in a prospective study. It is important to recognise this phenomenon and to differentiate it from other echogenic structures (thrombus).