Project description:BackgroundLemierre's syndrome is an infectious phenomenon characterized by oropharyngeal infection with bacteraemia, thrombophlebitis, and distant septic emboli. Septic emboli are a recognized cause of a Type 2 myocardial infarction, with a left ventricular pseudoaneurysm being a rare but important complication of this.Case summaryA 19-year-old male presented with acute confusion, fevers, and a cough. Blood cultures were positive for Fusobacterium necrophorum and initial imaging showed a cavitating pneumonia. Further evaluation revealed septic emboli in the distal digits and brain. The patient initially responded to antibiotic therapy but developed chest pain with increased troponin levels. An electrocardiogram showed inferolateral ST elevation. A transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) showed hypokinaesia of the mid to apical lateral wall, and a computed tomography (CT) scan showed a pericardial effusion with a possible purulent effusion or abscess. The patient underwent surgical drainage of a sterile effusion. A post-operative TTE and CT demonstrated a left ventricular pseudoaneurysm that was surgically repaired. The venous thrombus was encountered intra-operatively confirming a diagnosis of Lemierre's syndrome. The patient completed the regimen of antibiotics and showed a good post-operative recovery.DiscussionThis is the first case described of left ventricular pseudoaneurysm as a complication of Lemierre's syndrome. It highlights not only the importance of serial, multimodality imaging in both diagnostic workup and identification of complications, but also the importance of a multidisciplinary team in the management of patients with complex and rare presentations.
Project description:BackgroundPseudoaneurysm of inferior wall of the left ventricle is an uncommon complication of myocardial infarction with high mortality.Case presentationWe report the case of a 63-year-old Tunisian man, diagnosed with a thrombosed left ventricular pseudoaneurysm and a pericardial effusion after 1 week of angina.ConclusionsLeft ventricular pseudoaneurysm is a serious complication of myocardial infarction that has atypical presentations. Diagnosis is generally established by transthoracic echocardiography but confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging. Urgent surgery is the treatment choice given the risk of embolization and rupture.
Project description:Recognizing true from pseudo left ventricular aneurysm after myocardial infarction is paramount to guide clinical management and determine need for surgical urgency. We discuss a case of a postinfarction pseudoaneurysm that poses unique anatomic challenges and may hold a secret "DaVinci code" beyond current diagnostic criteria. (Level of Difficulty: Advanced.).
Project description:Acquired pseudoaneurysm of the left ventricle is a very rare disorder and mostly occurs after large transmural myocardial infarction (MI) with peak creatine phosphokinase-MB levels greater than 150 IU/mL. Patients developing left ventricular (LV) pseudoaneurysm usually present with angina or heart failure symptoms. Although different imaging modalities exist, coronary angiography is the gold standard for diagnosis. Surgery is the treatment of choice for LV pseudoaneurysms detected in the first months after MI. Here we report the case of a 74-year-old woman who presented with a relatively small inferior MI due to right coronary artery occlusion and complicated by LV pseudoaneurysm.
Project description:Left ventricular clefts (LVCs) are defined as deep, tight blood-filled invaginations within the ventricular myocardium localized predominantly in the basal posterior septum and LV-free wall. Usually, they are asymptomatic and incidentally discovered during diagnostic imaging procedures. LVC has been reported both in healthy volunteers and in patients affected with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Clinicians should be able to recognize LVC and to distinguish this entity from other myocardial wall defects with different pathological profile and clinical significance. We describe a case of multimodality imaging of multiple septal myocardial clefts in an asymptomatic teenager.
Project description:BackgroundLeft ventricular pseudoaneurysm (LVP) is an uncommon but serious mechanical complication of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The immediate medical complications of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are well recognized, but its indirect effect on patients and healthcare systems is potentially less perceivable.Case summaryIn this report, a 72-year-old man who was anxious about attending hospital during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic was eventually found to have a total right coronary artery occlusion after a delayed emergency department presentation. He ultimately developed severe symptomatic heart failure and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) revealed that a large LVP with concomitant severe ischaemic mitral regurgitation had evolved from his infarct. The patient was successfully discharged home after the surgical replacement of his mitral valve and repair of his LVP.DiscussionThis case highlights a salient downstream effect of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): the delay in presentation, diagnosis, and management of common treatable conditions such as AMI. It also underscores the importance of non-invasive multimodal imaging on the timely identification of the mechanical complications of AMI. In particular, CMR can play a crucial role in the characterization and management of LVP.
Project description:A 74-year-old woman presented with incessant wide complex tachycardia that was refractory to cardioversions. Successful radiofrequency catheter ablation was performed on the left ventricular posteromedial papillary muscle. An inaudible steam pop has occurred during the procedure, but we confirmed that there were no complications during the procedure and short-term follow-up of echocardiography. Two months after the procedure, an asymptomatic pseudoaneurysm was identified at the ablation site that had not been observed in the short-term follow-up.