3 research outputs found
Left ventricular diverticulum, a rare echocardiographic finding: Two adult patients and review of the literature
Congenital diverticulum of the left ventricle is a very rare cardiac abnormality characterized by
a local embryological development failure of the ventricular muscle. It may present as an
isolated disorder or may be associated with other cardiac abnormalities. Clinically, it has been
reported that it can lead to chest pain, arrhythmias, cardiac rupture, and sudden death,
although frequently the course is asymptomatic. This article presents two illustrative cases of
left ventricular diverticulum. The diagnosis was made by two-dimensional echocardiography
and was confirmed by cardiac catheterization. There were no other thoracoabdominal or
cardiac abnormalities. The patient was asymptomatic and surgical resection was not indicated.
Given the few cases reported in the medical literature, the information available is
scarce; hence, physicians should be trained to make the appropriate diagnosis
Subaortic and mid-ventricular obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with an apical Aneurysm: a case report
BACKGROUND: Most patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) have asymmetric septal hypertrophy and among them, 25% present dynamic subaortic obstruction. Apical HCM is unusual and mid-ventricular HCM is the most infrequent presentation, but both variants may be associated to an apical aneurysm. An even more rare presentation is the coexistece mid-ventricular and apical HCM. This case is a combination of obstructive HCM with mid-ventricular HCM and an apical aneurysm, which to date, has not been reported in the literature. CASE PRESENTATION: The patient is a 49 year-old lady who presents a combination of septal asymmetric hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and midventricular HCM, a subaortic gradient of 65 mm Hg and a midventricular gradient of 20 mm Hg, plus an apical aneurysm. Her clinical presentation was an acute myocardial infarction in June 2005. One month after hospital discharge, the electrocardiogram (ECG) showed a right bundle branch block (RBBB) with no Q waves or ST segment elevation. Coronary angiography revealed normal coronary arteries, left ventricular hypertrophy and an apical aneurysm. CONCLUSION: This case is a rare example of an asymptomatic patient with subaortic and mid-ventricular hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, who presents a myocardial infarction and normal coronary arteries, and during the course of her disease develops an apical aneurysm