Successful surgical treatment of dissecting left atrial aneurysm after mitral valve replacement

Dissecting aneurysm of the left atrium is extremely rare. A patient with such an aneurysm, which developed after mitral valve replacement is described. The diagnosis was established by cineventriculography of the left ventricle and two-dimensional echocardiography. The aneurysm was successfully treated by closure of the communicating opening through the left thoracotomy incision.