left ventricular aneurysm
Last reviewed 01/2018
Ventricular aneurysms of the heart are outpouchings of the ventricular wall which typically occur as a complication of myocardial infarction.
Left ventricular aneurysms occur after 2-15% of infarcts and have a 5-year survival of 10-25%.
The clinical consequences include:
- heart failure:
- paradoxical filling of the aneurysm during systole reduced the ventricular ejection fraction
- ventricular arrhythmias
- persistent angina
- systemic emboli
The diagnosis may be made on cardiac imaging:
- chest radiograph
- echocardiograph
- cardiac catheterisation
A quarter of patients with a ventricular aneurysm show persistent ST elevation in the territory of the myocardial infarction.