Left ventricular aneurysm surgery. Determinants of results

Between 1967 and 1983, 154 patients had reduction of left ventricular aneurysms by resection or plication. Seventy percent of patients had predominant angina; the remainder had predominant dyspnoea. Fifty-eight percent had associated coronary bypass grafting. Within the group, there were included 26 patients who had aneurysm resection for dyspnoea and who were evaluated by radionuclide angiography at a mean follow-up of 17 + 11 months. There was a 20% early mortality; this fell to 5% in the latter half of this experience. Patients whose major symptom was angina had a 5% early mortality. Those whose major symptom was severe dyspnoea had an early mortality of 30%. Patients who had aneurysm reduction alone had an early mortality of 17% and those who had associated bypass grafting had an early mortality of 9%. There was a 48% late mortality, attrition occurring at a steady rate and being predominantly due to cardiovascular causes. Of 95 patients available for review between one and thirteen years after operation, 60% were in New York Heart Association (N.Y.H.A.) functional class I, 36% in functional class II and 4% in classes III and IV. In patients whose predominant symptom was dyspnoea, radionuclide studies showed that global left ventricular performance at rest was not significantly changed by operation, despite clinical improvement. Long-term clinical outcome was determined more by pre-operative global ventricular function than by function of the residual contractile segment. Within the whole group, however, both early mortality and symptomatic improvement were more likely in patients with predominant angina.