Left ventricular obstruction caused by a large hiatal hernia

Abstract

A 76-year-old man was admitted to our emergency department owing to chest pain, which started immediately after lunch. Although electrocardiogram revealed ST-segment elevation with hyperacute T-wave changes in the anterior lead tracings, emergency coronary angiography revealed normal coronary arteries. Echocardiography revealed left ventricular (LV) compression with left ventricular obstruction (LVO) caused by an echogenic mass. Computed tomography clearly revealed compression of both left atrial (LA) and LV by a large hiatal hernia. A large hiatal hernia can induce cardiac symptoms resulting from cardiac compression. This case highlights a possible association between chest pain and LVO caused by a hiatal hernia.

Keywords: Doppler echocardiography; hiatal hernia; left ventricular obstruction.