Oozing type of left ventricular rupture via subepicardial aneurysm diagnosed 5 months after myocardial infarction

Abstract

A 71-year-old man visited our hospital complaining of increasing fatigue and exertional dyspnea. He had had severe epigastric pain for the past 5 months. On admission, chest radiogram showed marked cardiac dilatation and echocardiogram massive pericardial effusion with a small subepicardial aneurysm at the posterior wall of the left ventricle. An urgent pericardiocentesis removed 1300 ml of bloody effusion. The red blood cell count of the pericardial effusion was similar to that of the peripheral blood, and there were no abnormal findings on cytologic and bacteriological examinations. Coronary angiography showed a blunt occlusion of the mid-portion of the circumflex artery. Left ventricular angiogram revealed aneurysmal deformity of the left ventricular posterior wall. These findings suggested that an oozing type of left ventricular rupture via a subepicardial aneurysm had occurred after the onset of myocardial infarction (MI), resulting in massive accumulation of pericardial effusion. The patient is presently doing well without any clinical symptoms 18 months after pericardiocentesis. This is the first case report in which a subepicardial aneurysm with massive pericardial effusion was detected in the chronic stage of MI and successfully managed without surgical repair.