LV aneurysms are very commonly caused by myocardial infarction. The diagnosis of LV aneurysm is often difficult, as patients are either asymptomatic, or present with non-specific symptoms attributable to other causes. Differential diagnosis between true aneurysms and pseudoaneurysms is challenging and critical since pseudoaneurysms have a higher risk of rupture(30-45%) and thus, a surgical approach to management is often undertaken. Echocardiography, left ventriculography and cardiac MRI are complementary imaging modalities used to distinguish true and pseudoaneurysms.
There is increasing evidence that cardiac MRI is very useful for differentiating between true and pseudoaneurysms. Cardiac MRI, with its higher spatial resolution, is more sensitive and specific for the diagnosis of a pseudoaneurysm than transthoracic echocardiography. More discussion role of MRI in diagnosing aneurysm…
