Two patients developed a ventriculo-pulmonary fistula several years after o
riginal resection of a left ventricular aneurysm. Both presented with chron
ic mild haemoptysis. In the first case mild haemoptysis lasted nearly 19 mo
nths, and despite a battery of non invasive and invasive investigations, di
agnosis was ultimately made via exploratory thoracotomy. In the second case
mild haemoptysis lasted four months and finally manifested as a large haem
optysis. Diagnosis was made preoperatively using echocardiography. We recom
mend the use of echocardiography when haemoptysis occurs in a patient with
a previous history of ventricular aneurysm repair. (C) 1999 Elsevier Scienc
e Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.