Surgical management and outcome of left ventricular pseudoaneurysm: our 11-year experience

Introduction
Left ventricular (LV) pseudoaneurysm is an uncommon condition with a high risk of death due to spontaneous rupture. The symptoms are nonspecific and diagnosis is often delayed. Surgical repair is the treatment of choice despite associated operative mortality.

Aim
Here we present a retrospective analysis of our experience in managing LV pseudoaneurysms over an 11-year period.

Material and methods
Between May 2009 and April 2020, 7 patients (6 males and 1 female) with LV pseudoaneurysm underwent surgical repair at our center. Hospital records were accessed to obtain relevant clinical information and treatment outcomes. The mean age was 41.86 years (range: 7–73 years). Etiologies were post-myocardial infarction (4 patients) and prior endocarditis/pericarditis (3 patients). Pseudoaneurysms were posterobasal in 4 patients and apical in 3 patients. All the patients underwent surgical repair with resection of pseudoaneurysm and patch repair of the ventricular wall defect.

Results
All patients tolerated surgery well with no perioperative mortality or morbidity. Clinical condition and echocardiographic findings remained stable in all patients over their follow-up period (3 months to 3 years). Mortality occurred in a 73-year-old patient with post-MI posterobasal pseudoaneurysm, 15 months after surgery due to acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Conclusions
LV pseudoaneurysm is an entity that carries a high mortality risk. Timely diagnosis and early surgical intervention significantly improve the outcome.