Pseudoaneurysm originating from left ventricle aneurysm: An autopsy case and review of literature

Rupture of the free wall of the left ventricle is a catastrophic complication of acute myocardial infarction. Rarely, free wall rupture is contained by overlying adherent pericardium, producing a pseudoaneurysm of the left ventricle. In this report, a case of a left ventricular pseudoaneurysm due to a previous myocardial infarction is described. A 55-year-old woman had a severe chest pain 11 months prior to death. No cardiac investigation was performed. Three days prior to death, she suffered from fatigue and weakness, and had a witnessed sudden cardiac death. At autopsy, a 8.5 × 10 × 8 cm pseudoaneurysm of the left ventricle was found. There was severe coronary artery atherosclerosis. There were extensive adhesions between pericardium and pseudoaneurysm wall. The cause of death was attributed to heart failure and resulting arrhythmia. The case illustrates the rare event of left ventricular pseudoaneurysm first diagnosed at forensic autopsy. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved.