Project description:Left ventricular pseudoaneurysm is a potentially life-threatening complication of acute myocardial infarction. Timely diagnosis is crucial to improve the patient's prognosis. We describe a multimodality diagnostic approach with emphasis on cardiac magnetic resonance imaging for a left ventricular pseudoaneurysm found surreptitiously in 72-year-old man 2 weeks following an acute myocardial infarction. (Level of Difficulty: Beginner.).
Project description:Left ventricular free wall rupture (LVFWR) is a grave complication of acute myocardial infarction. Acutely, it has an extremely high rate of mortality, especially if undetected. Chronically, there is paucity of data on how to manage the pathology, especially if detected as an incidental finding. We present a unique case of initially undetected LVFWR in a patient who presented with repeated chest pain. Cardiac MRI enabled the diagnosis and localisation of the original site of LVFWR and provided highly relevant volume calculations. Measurement of both absolute and virtual volumes indicated that aneurysm resection, including the original site of rupture, was surgically feasible without reducing postoperative stroke volume.
Project description:Left ventricular pseudoaneurysm (LV-PSA) is a rare complication in children, usually developing after cardiac surgery, percutaneous procedures, infections, or trauma. Herein, we report a case of large basal submitral LV-PSA in a 36-day-old baby, detected 26 days after cardiac operation for hypoplastic arch, aortic coarctation, and small ventricular septal defect. No complications occurred in the first postoperative course, and early postoperative echocardiograms were normal. Despite large dimension of pseudoaneurysm, the baby presented with only mild tachypnea. The baby was successfully operated. Pseudoaneurysm, besides rare, could have an extremely broad and insidious clinical presentation and had to be considered in post-cardiac surgery follow-up echocardiogram at any time lapse.
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:A 71-year-old woman presented at our hospital with chest discomfort. Cardiac CT showed an impending double rupture; an intraseptal pseudoaneurysm had ruptured into the right ventricle, while the left ventricular free wall remained intact at this stage. After admission, the patient fell into cardiogenic shock. Emergency surgery was performed. The intraoperative findings included a double rupture of the ventricular septum and the left ventricular free wall. Double rupture is a rare but fatal complication of myocardial infarction. Early diagnosis is essential. Recently, cardiac CT has emerged as a valuable tool for patients with possible ischaemic disease. In this case, enhanced cardiac CT showed an impending double rupture of junctional-type. The static and dynamic images of intraseptal pseudoaneurysm by two-dimensional (2-D) CT, 3-D CT and 4-D CT presented here provide insights into the mechanisms behind, and the pathophysiology of, double ruptures. They also demonstrate the significance of cardiac CT for evaluating ischaemic heart disease.
Project description:There are many disorders that may involve the left ventricular (LV) apex; however, they are sometimes difficult to differentiate. In this setting cardiac imaging methods can provide the clue to obtaining the diagnosis. The purpose of this review is to illustrate the spectrum of diseases that most frequently affect the apex of the LV including Tako-Tsubo cardiomyopathy, LV aneurysms and pseudoaneurysms, apical diverticula, apical ventricular remodelling, apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, LV non-compaction, arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia with LV involvement and LV false tendons, with an emphasis on the diagnostic criteria and imaging features. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s13244-011-0091-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Project description:Isolated left ventricular apical hypoplasia (ILVAH) is an uncommon and likely congenital cardiac abnormality that has been described as relatively new. ILVAH is characterized by a truncated, globular-shaped left ventricle (LV) with bulging of the interventricular septum toward the right ventricle (RV), wrapping of an elongated and lengthened RV around the absent LV apex, thinning and fat replacement of apical myocardium of the LV, and abnormalities in the papillary muscle arrangement of the LV. In this report, we present the cardiac magnetic resonance imaging findings of a 22-year-old female patient with non-specific cardiac complaints that were compatible with ILVAH. Recognition of this rare cardiomyopathy is important for clinicians and radiologists in order to follow up on patients with ILVAH, as it may lead to severe complications, and to distinguish it from other cardiomyopathies.Learning objectiveIsolated left ventricular apical hypoplasia (ILVAH) is a rare congenital cardiomyopathy that has some serious complications, such as left-sided heart failure, severe pulmonary hypertension, and fatal arrhythmias. By recognizing and identifying the cardiac magnetic resonance imaging findings of ILVAH, clinicians and radiologists can take appropriate measures to manage and treat patients with this condition, potentially improving outcomes and reducing the risk of complications.
Project description:Symptomatic severe aortic stenosis carries a two year survival of only 50%. However many patients are unsuitable for conventional aortic valve replacement as they are considered too high risk due to significant co-morbidities. Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) offers a viable alternative for this high risk patient group, either by the femoral or apical route. This article reports a case of a pseudoaneurysm of the left ventricle following an apical approach TAVI in an elderly lady with severe aortic stenosis. To our knowledge pseduoaneuryms of the left ventricle have been reported infrequently in the literature and has yet to be established as a recognised complication of TAVI.