title: Unusual cause of heart failure in a 65-year-old woman.
abstract: Left ventricular (LV) free wall rupture is a potentially lethal mechanical complication after myocardial infarction (MI). Pericardial adhesions or slow extracardiac leak and pericardial inflammation may result in a contained cardiac rupture. LV pseudoaneurysm is a relatively uncommon clinical entity. It may occur after MI, but also as a complication of infective endocarditis, cardiac surgery, or trauma. Patients developing LV pseudoaneurysm after MI may present angina pectoris or signs of congestive heart failure (HF) but often are asymptomatic. Surgery is the treatment of choice for LV pseudoaneurysms diagnosed in the first months after MI. The management of chronic LV pseudoaneurysms is still subject of debate. This report highlights a 65-year-old patient newly hospitalized for acute decompensated HF who was diagnosed with a large chronic LV pseudoaneurysm and severe mitral regurgitation. The patient underwent successful resection of the pseudoaneurysm and patch repair of the ruptured ventricular wall.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, City Hospital, University of Medicine and Pharmacy VictorBabes, Timisoara, Romania. cleopatratomescu@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Mirela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tomescu
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rusinaru
authors.forename: Bogdan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mut-Vitcu
authors.forename: Mioara
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cocora
authors.forename: Adelina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mavrea
authors.forename: Ioana
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Citu
authors.forename: Stefan Iosif
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Dragulescu
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006322:Heart Aneurysm / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008944:Mitral Valve Insufficiency / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014463:Ultrasonography