Chronic false aneurysms of the left ventricle: management revisited
M K Natarajan1, T A Salerno, B Burke
1St Michael's Hospital, University of Toronto, Ontario.
Insights
False ventricular aneurysms, rare after heart attack, may not always require surgery. Conservative management with monitoring could be a suitable alternative for stable, asymptomatic cases.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Cardiac Surgery
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- False left ventricular aneurysms are rare but serious complications following myocardial infarction.
- Historically, surgical resection was the standard treatment due to risks of rupture and death.
- The long-term prognosis and optimal management of chronic false aneurysms remain less clear.
Observation:
- Three patients presented with false left ventricular aneurysms 7-12 years after their initial myocardial infarction.
- Two of these patients were asymptomatic, with aneurysms incidentally detected via echocardiography.
- All three patients successfully underwent surgical repair.
Findings:
- The literature review indicates an increase in reported false aneurysms, often detected through advanced noninvasive imaging.
- Current data do not strongly support prophylactic surgery for stable, asymptomatic chronic false ventricular aneurysms.
- Surgical intervention was successful in the presented cases, despite the chronic nature of the aneurysms.
Implications:
- The findings challenge the universal practice of immediate surgical resection for all false ventricular aneurysms.
- Conservative management, including noninvasive follow-up, may be a viable and appropriate alternative for select patients.
- Further research is needed to establish evidence-based guidelines for managing chronic false ventricular aneurysms.
Abstract:
False aneurysms of the left ventricle are a rare complication of myocardial infarction. They pose a high risk of cardiac rupture and death in the immediate stages following infarction. The long term fate of these aneurysms is less clear. Based on early reports, the current practice is to resect all false aneurysms regardless of their age. Three patients were found to have false aneurysms several years (seven to 12) following their index infarction. Two of the patients were asymptomatic at presentation and their aneurysms were discovered by echocardiography. All three patients underwent successful surgical repair. The literature on false aneurysms is reviewed and analyzed. With the wide availability of high quality noninvasive imaging there has been an increase in the reporting of unsuspected false aneurysms in the past decade. The need for prophylactic aneurysectomy of stable asymptomatic chronic false ventricular aneurysms is not well supported by available data in the literature. A strategy of conservative management with noninvasive follow-up may be a more appropriate alternative.
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