Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2016 Jan-Mar;19(1):169-72.
doi: 10.4103/0971-9784.173042.

Left ventricular pseudoaneurysm versus aneurysm a diagnosis dilemma

Samarjit Bisoyi  1 , Anjan K Dash, Debashish Nayak, Satyajit Sahoo, Raghunath Mohapatra
Affiliations
Case Reports

Left ventricular pseudoaneurysm versus aneurysm a diagnosis dilemma

Samarjit Bisoyi et al. Ann Card Anaesth. 2016 Jan-Mar.

Abstract

Free wall rupture of the left ventricle (LV) is a rare but life-threatening complication of acute myocardial infaction. Very rarely such rupture may be contained by the adhering pericardium creating a pseudoaneurysm. This condition warrants for an emergency surgery. Left ventricular aneurysm is the discrete thinning of the ventricular wall (<5 mm) with akinetic or dyskinetic wall motion causing an out-pouching of the ventricle. Given the propensity for pseudoaneurysms to rupture leading to cardiac tamponade, shock, and death, compared with a more benign natural history for true aneurysms, accurate diagnosis of these conditions is important. True aneurysm, usually, calls for an elective surgery. Clinically differentiating the two conditions remains a challenge. We report the case of a patient with LV pseudoaneurysm, initially diagnosed as true aneurysm at our institution. We have attempted to review the existing literature and discussed the characteristic findings of each entity.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Chest X-ray (posterioranterior view)
Figure 2
Figure 2
Transesophageal echocardiography midesophageal four chamber view. Oval anechoic bulge on the left lateral aspect of the left ventricle size 8.2 cm × 6.9 cm
Figure 3
Figure 3
Transesophageal echocardiography midesophageal two chamber view showing the communication of left ventricle with the cystic cavity
Figure 4
Figure 4
Intraoperative picture showing the transmural hole of the pseudoaneurysm
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Pollak H, Nobis H, Mlczoch J. Frequency of left ventricular free wall rupture complicating acute myocardial infarction since the advent of thrombolysis. Am J Cardiol. 1994;74:184–6. - PubMed
    1. Zoffoli G, Mangino D, Venturini A, Terrini A, Asta A, Zanchettin C, et al. Diagnosing left ventricular aneurysm from pseudo-aneurysm: A case report and a review in literature. J Cardiothorac Surg. 2009;4:11. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Brown SL, Gropler RJ, Harris KM. Distinguishing left ventricular aneurysm from pseudoaneurysm. A review of the literature. Chest. 1997;111:1403–9. - PubMed
    1. Dachman AH, Spindola-Franco H, Solomon N. Left ventricular pseudoaneurysm. Its recognition and significance. JAMA. 1981;246:1951–3. - PubMed
    1. Gueron M, Wanderman KL, Hirsch M, Borman J. Pseudoaneurysm of the left ventricle after myocardial infarction: A curable form of myocardial rupture. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 1975;69:736–42. - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources