Korean J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg.  2009 Apr;42(2):244-247.

Resection of a Congenital Left Atrial Appendage Aneurysm without Extracorporeal Circulation

• Kim YH
• Yu JH
• Lee SK
• Kang SK
• Lim SP
• Lee Y

Abstract

A left atrial appendage aneurysm is a very rare medical condition which can develop by an inflammatory reaction or a degenerative change. If there is no accompanying anomaly, a left atrial appendage is considered a congenital disease. The majority of left atrial appendage aneurysms are detected incidentally because they usually do not cause any symptoms. Surgery is indicated, even for asymptomatic patients, because of the risk of life-threatening complications, such as atrial fibrillation, supraventricular tachycardia, systemic embolization, and cardiac arrest. Left atrial appendage aneurysms are usually treated by a median sternotomy with extracorporeal circulation, especially if the aneurysm has a broad base or contains a thrombus, but can treated by thoracotomy without extracorporeal circulation. We report a case of a successfully treated left atrial appendage aneurysm that was misdiagnosed as a partial pericardial defect without extracorporeal circulation in a 13-year old child.

Keyword

Aneurysm; Heart atrium; Congenital heart disease

MeSH Terms

Aneurysm
Atrial Appendage
Atrial Fibrillation
Extracorporeal Circulation
Heart Arrest
Heart Atria
Humans
Sternotomy
Tachycardia, Supraventricular
Thoracotomy
Thrombosis