1/8. Pseudoaneurysm of the left ventricle progressing from a subepicardial aneurysm.A 56-year-old man presented with an inferior myocardial infarction and a huge pseudoaneurysm below the inferior surface of the left ventricle, which had progressed from a small subepicardial aneurysm over a 6-month period. Transthoracic echocardiography, doppler color flow images, radionuclide angiocardiography, magnetic resonance imaging and contrast ventriculography all revealed an abrupt disruption of the myocardium at the neck of the pseudoaneurysm, where the diameter of the orifice was smaller than the aneurysm itself, and abnormal blood flows from the left ventricle to the cavity through the orifice with an expansion of the cavity in systole and from the cavity to the left ventricle with the deflation of the cavity in diastole. coronary angiography revealed 99% stenosis at the atrioventricular nodal branch of the right coronary artery. At surgery the pericardium was adherent to the aneurysmal wall and a 1.5-cm orifice between the aneurysm and the left ventricle was seen. Pathological examination revealed no myocardial elements in the aneurysmal wall. The orifice was closed and the postoperative course was uneventful. Over-intense physical activity as a construction worker was considered to be the cause of the large pseudoaneurysm developing from the subepicardial aneurysm. These findings indicate that a subepicardial aneurysm may progress to a larger pseudoaneurysm, which has a propensity to rupture, however, it can be surgically repaired.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physical (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/8. Healing of spontaneous coronary dissection in the context of glycoprotein IIB/IIIA inhibitor therapy: a case report.Spontaneous coronary artery dissection is a rare cause of myocardial infarction. It is a condition with greater prevalence in young women, particularly in the peripartum or early postpartum period. It also has been described following intense physical exercise. The pathophysiologic characteristics remain unclear. Unlike atherosclerotic intimal dissection, the dissection plane lies within the media or between the media and adventitia. We describe a case of spontaneous coronary artery dissection in a 44-yr old menstruating woman with mitral valve prolapse, who experienced acute myocardial infarction after twisting and throwing a heavy piece of luggage. coronary angiography showed coronary artery dissection in a left anterior descending coronary artery at the point of its emergence from its intramural course. An intimal plaque with 90-95% obstruction and reduced (TIMI I) flow was demonstrated. The patient was treated with continued glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor infusion. Angiographic resolution with return of prompt (TIMI III) flow was noted. Optimal management of spontaneous coronary artery dissection has not been established and may vary, depending upon the presence of intimal versus extramural compromise. coronary artery bypass, stenting, and thrombolysis have been successful and also have failed, owing to extension of dissection. Our patient is the first reported patient to have received tirofiban therapy in the context of spontaneous coronary artery dissection. Medical therapy has been used most often, and angiographic resolution has been documented at 94 days, 7 mo, and 1 yr. We document the earliest case of spontaneous angiographic resolution-within 20 hr.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physical (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/8. Aortic subannular left ventricular aneurysm in a patient of Asian ancestry.An asymptomatic 50-year-old Japanese man was diagnosed with an aortic subannular left ventricular aneurysm during a routine physical checkup. Operative findings showed the subaortic aneurysm had developed beneath the noncoronary cusp of the aortic valve and expanded into the epicardium between the aortic root and left atrium. The operation involved patch closure of the orifice of the annular subaortic aneurysm, aortic valvuloplasty, and plication of the dilated ascending aorta.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physical (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/8. A case of left ventricular pseudoaneurysm with long survival and congestive heart failure as first presentation. Case report and review of the literature.BACKGROUND: Left ventricular pseudoaneurysm is a rare and extremely fatal complication of acute myocardial infarction. It is defined as a rupture of the myocardium contained by epicardial adhesions or the epicardial wall. CASE REPORT: A 76-year-old woman was brought to our department suffering from acute pulmonary edema and left ventricular pseudoaneurysm. This condition was caused by an unrecognized high lateral myocardial infarction, which was diagnosed and treated conventionally. Four years after the diagnosis was made, the patient is in good physical condition. The presentation, imaging findings, and the prognosis of such cases are briefly discussed. We have especially focused on the imaging techniques currently used to confirm the diagnosis and on the fact that although the patient refused to have an operation (most appropriate for the diagnosis), she still lives in good physical condition (NYHA II). CONCLUSIONS: We report a case of post infarction pseudoaneurysm along with review of the literature on the subject. We discuss the role of computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging to ascertain the diagnosis and the algorithm of therapeutic management. Based on current literature, we believe that surgical resection is the treatment of choice for patients in whom a pseudoaneurysm is detected within three months after myocardial infarction, for patients with other indications for cardiac surgery, and for symptomatic patients with ventricular tachycardia or recurrent embolism related to the pseudoaneurysm. Optimum medical therapy is the only alternative in those high-risk patients who refuse surgical operation.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2keywords = physical (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/8. Differentiating true versus pseudo left ventricular aneurysm: a case report and review of diagnostic strategies.The differentiation of left ventricular pseudoaneurysm from true aneurysm is sometimes difficult. 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 clinically important. Clinical symptoms, physical examination findings, electrocardiograms, and routine x-rays are not sensitive or specific for diagnosing left ventricular aneurysms nor for distinguishing true from pseudoaneurysm once detected. Our aim is to present a case report demonstrating these difficulties and to review the use of various cardiac imaging modalities in differentiating between these 2 entities.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physical (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/8. Left ventricular pseudoaneurysm causing superior vena caval obstruction and effusive-constrictive pericarditis.A diabetic woman with a silent myocardial infarction on clinical and electrocardiographic criteria presented with findings on physical examination of superior vena caval obstruction and effusive-constrictive pericarditis. A left ventricular posterior wall pseudoaneurysm and intrapericardial hematoma were found, with extrinsic compression of the right atrium. The diagnosis was first suspected by radionuclide imaging and confirmed by contrast angiography and surgery.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physical (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/8. Scintigraphic detection of ventricular aneurysm with thallium-201.We present two patients who exhibited striking abnormalities on stress thallium-201 scintigrams, suggesting ventricular aneurysm before documentation of this diagnosis by contrast ventriculography. The features of the scintigrams included: (a) a large perfusion defect overlying the cavity of the left ventricle, the defect extending to the periphery of the cardiac image and containing fewer counts than the lung background; (b) relatively increased lung background; (c) increased right-ventricular prominence; and (d) abnormal cardiac contour. Although large aneurysms of the left ventricle can usually be diagnosed from history and physical examination, occasionally they can be more subtle in their manifestations. Appearance of a myocardial perfusion image as described above should alert the physician to the possibility of this diagnosis.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physical (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/8. An autopsied case of an elementary school boy with sudden death four years after Kawasaki disease: on the problem of present method of cardiac mass screening of school children.An 8 year-old boy died suddenly 4 years after the onset of Kawasaki disease. He was examined by a cardiac mass screening for school children one and a half year before the death, and was evaluated as having no sequela of Kawasaki disease. The autopsy showed coronary arterial aneurysms and obstruction with fresh and old myocardial infarction. One of the problems of the present method for cardiac mass screening for school children is that it is performed only with history taking, physical findings and electrocardiograms. This method is completely insufficient to find out coronary involvement as a sequela of Kawasaki disease. All the children with history of Kawasaki disease should be examined by two dimensional echocardiography, which is the most sensitive and specific noninvasive method to detect the coronary involvement in our experience.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physical (Clic here for more details about this article) |