title: A death following hemopericardium due to rupture of a right ventricular aneurysm due to a congenital ventricular septal defect.
abstract: Right ventricular aneurysm (RVA) is a rare clinicopathological entity. Although it occurs as a consequence of a variety of conditions, congenital ventricular septal defect (VSD) as an etiology for the RVA has not been previously reported. A 42-year-old man without a significant family or past medical history was found dead in bed. At autopsy, the internal examination revealed a hemopericardium of 280 mL. There was a 1.5 cm diameter ruptured aneurysm of the free wall of the right ventricle. A VSD was present in the lower part of the muscular interventricular septum. The RVA was directly facing to the VSD without any obstruction in between. Microscopically the wall of the aneurysm consisted only of a thin layer of fibrous tissue transmurally with minimal interspersed cardiomyocytes. Cause of death was concluded as hemopericardium following rupture of RVA caused by a congenital VSD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. kaskodikara@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Sarathchandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kodikara
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000783:Aneurysm / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D017542:Aneurysm, Ruptured / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D049429:Forensic Pathology; D006345:Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology; D010490:Pericardial Effusion / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*