Postoperative aneurysms of the heart. Case report and review of the literature.

A postoperative left ventricular pseudoaneurysm is reported in a seven-year-old after closure of an atrial septal defect and repair of partial anomalous venous drainage. A discussion of the etiology and clinical presentation of post operative aneurysms are presented. Cardiac aneurysms of both the true and false variety have been commonly reported following myocardial infarction, blunt and penetrating trauma and infectious processes such as tuberculosis and syphilis. As the frequency of open heart correction of congenital and acquired lesions increases, the incidence of post-operative pseudoaneurysm of heart can also be expected to increase. The diagnosis of this entity in the postoperative period is often difficult and may lead to delay in detection and correction. The clinical presentation and subsequent course of false anurysm differs from the more common true aneurysm to an extent which should be recognized by both cardiologists and cardiac surgeons. A case of left ventricular pseudoaneurysm after open heart repair of an atrial septal defect is reported and a clinical profile which may be helpful in the earlier recognition of this entity is presented.