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The combination of thoracic aortic pseudoaneurysm and left ventricular aneurysm resulting from a single traumatic incident is an exceedingly rare occurrence. We present a 10-year-old girl who sustained significant blunt trauma to the chest after being involved in a rollover motor vehicle accident. The child underwent immediate repair of a transected aortic arch. An inferior wall left ventricular aneurysm developed 3 weeks later, and the patient underwent successful repair of the left ventricular aneurysm and a damaged mitral valve. The use of fast multidetector row CT, cardiac MRI, and echocardiography have improved our ability to diagnose these types of injuries and accurately image their anatomic relationships in the acute and perioperative settings. Keywords Aortic pseudoaneurysm * Ventricular aneurysm * Trauma

A 65-year-old woman was diagnosed with a hereditary true aneurysm of the left ventricle of the heart. She was admitted to the hospital with ventricular tachycardia, an abnormally fast heart rate, after several days of vomiting and diarrhea. A spin-echo magnetic resonance imaging scan, a coronary arteriogram and a biplane left ventriculogram revealed an aneurysm in the left ventricle of the heart. An echocardiogram of left ventricular function did not determine conclusively whether the patient had a true or pseudoaneurysm. The aneurysm was found to be a true aneurysm during surgery, and was removed. The patient recovered and remained healthy seven months after the operation.

Byline: H. Chiu (1), M. Gulecyuz (1), M. Ilbawi (1), D.G. Thoele (1) Keywords: Key words: Ventricular aneurysm -- Congenital -- Acquired Abstract: Cardiac ventricular aneurysms are anomalous developments that are multifactorial in origin. Few pediatric cases have been cited. The majority of the cited cases have had negative consequences. We report an asymptomatic boy with an aneurysm incidentally found, and his identical twin brother with no evidence of aneurysm. Author Affiliation: (1) University of Illinois at Chicago Hospital, 1740 West Taylor Street, Chicago, IL 60612, USA, US (2) Mt. Sinai Hospital Medical Center, Department of Pediatrics, 1500 South California Avenue, Chicago, IL 60608, USA, US (3) The Heart Institute for Children, Hope Children's Hospital, 4440 West 95th Street, Oak Lawn, IL 60453, USA, US

Byline: S. Hoi-shan Chan (1), K.S. Lun (1) Keywords: Key words: Coxsackie B -- Myocarditis -- Atrial tachycardia -- Ventricular Aneurysm -- Neonate Abstract: A premature neonate suffered from disseminated Coxsackie B4 infection. Myocarditis and a coexisting persistent ductus arteriosus became complicated with recurrent atrial tachycardia and severe heart failure. She survived with satisfactory cardiac function. Ventricular aneurysm was detected on follow-up echocardiography. Author Affiliation: (1) Department of Pediatrics, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, 30 Gascoigne Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China, CN

Ventricular aneurysms (ballooning of the walls of the lower heart chamber) have many causes, with coronary artery disease being the cause in 75 percent of cases. Infrequently, no cause can be found; these are idiopathic cases. A case is reported of a 56-year-old woman with three idiopathic left ventricular aneurysms. For four years, prior to hospitalization, the patient had dyspnea (shortness of breath) on exertion, which was diagnosed as mild congestive heart failure. She had no other history of disorders which could contribute to ventricular tachycardia (rapid heartbeat), the symptom for which she was hospitalized. Her heart rate was 200 beats per minute (bpm), while the normal rate is 72 bpm. The initial chest X-ray showed no abnormal bulges indicative of aneurysms. Invasive imaging techniques were needed to reveal the aneurysms. Ventricular tachycardia was not responsive to drugs, and a device was implanted to restore normal heart rhythm. All previously reported cases of ventricular aneurysms were of single aneurysms, all of which were associated with arrhythmias. The study suggests this is a case of true idiopathic disease, as little or no evidence was found for known causes such as coronary artery disease, thrombi (clots), Chagas disease (a parasitic infection), or syphilis. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)