Cardiac Pseudoaneurysms: A Clinical Case Series
Grace Alexander, Mahi L Ashwath- Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine
Abstract
Background
Cardiac pseudoaneurysms are a potentially life-threatening pathology with a variety of non-specific clinical manifestations. This case series uniquely shares a collection of rare pathologies with differing preceding risk factors and presentations, with an emphasis on the utility of multimodality imaging in diagnosis and management.
Case Summary
We present three cases of cardiac pseudoaneurysms. Case 1 is a 27 year old woman with delayed presentation of a traumatic left ventricular pseudoaneurysm (LVP). Case 2 is a 73 year old man with post myocardial infarction LVP. Case 3 is a 38 year old man with left ventricular outflow tract pseudoaneurysm after aortic valve replacement.
Discussion
Cardiac pseudoaneurysms are rare and important to diagnose in a timely manner. Advances in non-invasive imaging modalities have improved our ability to distinguish pseudoaneurysms from other pathologies, leading to more timely management.