Diagnosing left ventricular aneurysm from pseudo-aneurysm: a case report and a review in literature.
Rupture of the free wall of the left ventricle (LV) is a catastrophic complication occurring in 4% of patients after myocardial infarction (MI) and in 23% of those who die of MI. Rarely the rupture is contained by an adherent pericardium creating a pseudo-aneurysm. This clinical finding calls for emergency surgery. If no ruptures are detectable and myocardium wall integrity is confirmed, we are in the presence of a true aneurysm, which can be treated by means of elective surgery. Differentiation between these two pathologies remains difficult. We report the case of a patient with a true aneurysm, initially diagnosed as pseudo-aneurysm at our institution; we have reviewed the literature on this difficult diagnosis and outlined characteristic findings of each clinical entity.
Zoffoli
Giampaolo
G
Department of Cardiac Surgery, Ospedale dell'Angelo, Via Paccagnella 11, 30174, Venice, Mestre, Italy. giampaolozoffoli@yahoo.it
Mangino
Domenico
D
Venturini
Andrea
A
Terrini
Alberto
A
Asta
Angiolino
A
Zanchettin
Chiara
C
Polesel
Elvio
E
D000368:Aged; D017541:Aneurysm, False / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D017548:Echocardiography, Transesophageal; D006322:Heart Aneurysm / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D006352:Heart Ventricles; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000150:complications*; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000175:diagnosis; D016896:Treatment Outcome