title: Improvement of left ventricular aneurysm after myocardial infarction: report of three cases.
abstract: We report on the disappearance of a left ventricular aneurysm after myocardial infarction in three cases. Coronary blood flow was restored by spontaneous recanalization in two cases and by angioplasty in one case. When the aneurysm was observed, the findings in these cases were (1) no or limited abnormal Q wave in surface electrocardiography, (2) total or subtotal stenosis of the proximal coronary artery without adequate distal filling through collaterals, (3) no ST shift in exercise electrocardiography, and (4) decreased but not absent thallium-201 uptake in myocardial scintigraphy. In Cases 1 and 2, respectively, 3 years and one year and 8 months after the myocardial infarction, an anginal episode occurred and the ventricular aneurysm disappeared. In Case 3, the aneurysm disappeared after coronary angioplasty. These cases suggest that even without a demonstration of reversible ischemic myocardium and/or severe stenosis without distal filling through collaterals, the myocardium presenting a ventricular aneurysm would be hibernating. These cases were also informative about the detection of hibernating myocardium.
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Center, Sakakibara Hospital, Okayama, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Iwasaki
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kita
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Taniguchi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kusachi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D015637:Gated Blood-Pool Imaging; D006321:Heart / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006322:Heart Aneurysm / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000503:physiopathology*