LEFT-VENTRICULAR PSEUDO-ANEURYSM - SOMETIMES A LATE FINDING

Left ventricular pseudo-aneurysm is a rare complication of myocardial infarction, usually of the inferior wall. It is generally a sudden eve nt due to rupture of the heart which is contained by the pericardium. The outcome is usually rapidly fatal by secondary rupture or adiastole . The authors report a case of pseudo-aneurysm of the left ventricle m easuring 3.5 cm in diameter observed following a small inferior wall m yocardial infarction in a diabetic patient with a history of inferior wall myocardial infarction 38 years previously. This case is interesti ng because of the silent character of the pseudo-aneurysm, very probab ly complicating the previous infarct.