Cor Vasa 2002, 43(6):291-294
Left ventricular pseudoaneurysm following mitral valve replacement
- 1 I. Interná klinika Martinskej fakultnej nemocnice a Jesseniovej lekárskej fakulty UK, Martin
- 2 Klinika srdcovej chirurgie Slovenského ústavu srdcových a cievnych chorôb, Bratislava, Slovenská republika
Left ventricular pseudoaneurysm (false aneurysm) following prosthetic valve replacement is a rare yet serious complication. If left undetected, the patient is at risk of its rupture and sudden death. In the case we report, the complication developed in the early postoperative period after a second mitral valve replacement with a prosthesis. The pseudoaneurysm in the left ventricular posterolateral wall immediately below the prosthetic mitral valve was diagnosed by transthoracic echocardiography. The exact localization with the characteristic systolic pseudoaneurysm expansion and diastolic collapse were evaluated preoperatively in detail using transesophageal echocardiography. It is just echocardiography, which is irreplaceable in non-invasive diagnosis of this rare complication of valve surgery.
Keywords: Left ventricular pseudoaneurysm; Mitral valve replacement; Echocardiography
Published: June 1, 2002 Show citation