Post-traumatic aneurysm of the left ventricle.

Three cases of left ventricular aneurysm secondary to external violence are reported. Each patient presented with a pseudoaneurysm of the left ventricle, following penetrating trauma in two instances and blunt trauma in the third instance. The interval between injury and diagnosis ranged from 5 months to 24 years. Two patients underwent successful resection of the aneurysm. Repair was not attempted in the third patient. Only 16 cases of post-traumatic left ventricular aneurysm have previously been reported. In 13 of the 19 cases available for review, the trauma was blunt and in six penetrating. The aneurysm could be determined to be a true aneurysm in five instances and a false aneurysm in eight instances. Complications (rupture, cardiac failure, embolism, and arrhythmia) proved fatal in eight cases. Each of the eight patients subjected to aneurysmectomy survived.