Idiopathic multiple left ventricular aneurysms

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.)