Massive left ventricular aneurysm or unruptured pseudoaneurysm?

Unruptured Pseudoaneurysm? To the Editor: The Image in Cardiovascular Medicine by Stehlik and colleagues1 is not completely accurate with regard to the diagnosis of left ventricular aneurysm and the related terminology. The authors said that left heart catheterization demonstrated and transesophageal echocardiogram confirmed the diagnosis of left ventricular aneurysm. However, these findings were not consistent with the diagnosis of true aneurysm. Left ventriculography showed the appearance of a narrow neck, which is suggestive of an unruptured pseudoaneurysm. Furthermore, echocardiography did not reveal a clear myocardial continuity, and the orifice to the cavity ratio was consistent with a false aneurysm. Gatewood and Nanda2 showed that the ratio of the maximum diameter of the orifice to the maximum internal diameter of the cavity was 0.25 to 0.50 for pseudoaneurysms, whereas the range was 0.90 to 1.0 ratios for true aneurysms. In the presented case, the ratio of the maximum diameter of the orifice to the maximum internal diameter of the cavity seems to be 1.0. Furthermore, the presence of thrombus within the pseudoaneurysmal cavity may result in an underestimation of the maximum cavity diameter. Echocardiographic data should be examined carefully to determine the level of confidence of identification of material comprising the wall of the cavity (ie, laminar thrombus versus myocardium). If neither continuity nor discontinuity of myocardium can be demonstrated, surrogate markers such as the ratio of orifice to maximum diameter, the flow characteristics of the chamber, and/or the relationship of coronary arteries to the chamber must be used to identify the entity. In addition, one of the most easily documented potential features proposed for distinguishing true aneurysms from pseudoaneurysms is location. An inferior or posterior location is suggestive of pseudoaneurysm rather than a true aneurysm. Moreover, for the development of a large true posterior aneurysm, extensive infarction in this region is necessary and generally involves the posterior papillary muscle, usually resulting in severe mitral regurgitation3; this was not mentioned in the presented case.1 Finally, several reports describe the utility of MRI in identifying left ventricular pseudoaneurysm. Advantages of MRI include the capability of distinguishing among pericardium, thrombus, and myocardium and the potential to visualize disruption of the epicardial fat layer by the pseudoaneurysm.4