Guidance of post myocardial infarction ventricular septal defect and pseudoaneurysm closure.

Overview

Left ventricular pseudoaneurysm and ventricular septal defect are rare but devastating complications of myocardial infarction. With medical treatment alone, the majority of patients will die from these complications. Until recently, the recommended treatment was surgical closure. These surgeries carried extreme risk due to abnormal hemodynamics, necrotic substrates and the comorbidities of these patients. Recently, trans-catheter closure was shown to be an acceptable alternative to open surgical intervention. 3D echocardiography identifies the location, size, and shape of the defect and can assess, guide, and follow up the closure procedure.