Images in cardiology. Traumatic left ventricular true aneurysm: echocardiographic, MRI, and intraoperative images

Recurrent giant left ventricular aneurysm of tuberculous etiology in a child: case report

We report a case of myocardial tuberculosis in a 10-year-old girl, diagnosed after recurrence of left ventricular aneurysm, treated surgically.

Huge left ventricular aneurysm in a minimally symptomatic 11-year-old boy

An 11-year-old boy presented with mild shortness of breath and tachycardia and was diagnosed with a huge left ventricular aneurysm ruptured in a secondary pseudoaneurysm. This report highlights the complementary use of echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in the preoperative assessment of this anomaly.

[False aneurysm of left ventricle after nonpenetrating chest trauma (about one case)]

Ischemic heart disease is the most common etiology of aneurysms of the left ventricle. The latter can also result from trauma. We report a case of a patient operated for false aneurysm of the left ventricle revealed by dyspnea and occurring six years after a nonpenetrating chest trauma. Follow-up after surgery was good with no complication occurring. In conclusion, this lesion must be considered in case of chest trauma and can be easily detected by echocardiography or CT scan.

Importance of transesophageal echocardiography in the critically ill and injured patient

Echocardiography, particularly transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), is a vital diagnostic and monitoring imaging modality for the intensivist. The field of echocardiography spans different venues and pathologies, ranging from surface transthoracic echocardiography and portable hand-held echocardiography, to contrast echocardiography, stress echocardiography, and TEE, among others. Numerous investigations have proven the worth of echocardiography, especially TEE, in the critically ill and injured patient, changing lives with the identification of obvious and subtle cardiothoracic diseases. Because this powerful imaging tool is immediately available and portable, crucial delays in diagnosis are not commonplace; rather than echocardiography, TEE, specifically, should be (and is in some institutions) the standard of care and management in assisting the intensivist in diagnosis of a variety of maladies. The effect of TEE technology is quite formidable, and numerous investigations have borne this out. The therapeutic effect of TEE ranges from 10% to 69%, with the majority of investigations falling into the 60% to 65% range. The diagnostic yield of TEE is far greater, approaching 78%. This article will detail the importance of echocardiography, its efficacy, and its high-yield imaging capability, particularly when compared with other imaging modalities, even transthoracic echocardiography.