Aneurysm of the Heart - Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment
With this disease, a saccularprotrusion of the non-contracting and thinned wall of the heart muscle. Aneurysm of the heart in most cases appears when complicating myocardial infarction and is formed by the affected tissues during infarction. An aneurysm occupies most often the left ventricle of the heart, sometimes the interventricular septum and almost never the right ventricle. It requires treatment, because it can lead to thrombosis or a heart rupture. Diagnosis of this disease is performed using ultrasound, ECG and other methods. An aneurysm of the heart is surgically treated.
Causes of occurrence.
The main reason for the occurrence of an aneurysm ismyocardial infarction. During it, a part of the heart muscle dies, which is replaced in it by a connective tissue, a scar appears. At this point, the wall is depleted and can no longer shrink. Then the thinned area under the blood pressure gradually begins to bulge outward - an aneurysm appears in this place. Most often this occurs in the left ventricle or interventricular septum, since the infarction primarily affects these areas.
Symptoms.
Usually the symptoms of an aneurysm duplicate the symptomsheart failure or myocardial infarction, against which it arises. An aneurysm is divided according to the developmental period into acute, subacute, and chronic. Acute is observed during the first two weeks after a heart attack. The patient has shortness of breath and weakness, scrays the heart, there is a fever, inflammation in the blood, heart failure and rhythm disturbances.
Subacute aneurysm is already developing from 3 to 6weeks after a heart attack. Its formation and course is associated with the appearance of a scar on the heart in the infarct area. It does not give any new symptoms except the symptoms of heart failure: a strong palpitation, shortness of breath, increased fatigue.
Already after six weeks from the moment of heart attack, an aneurysm of the heart becomes chronic. Her symptoms do not differ much from the symptoms of heart failure.
Complications.
Aneurysm is potentially dangerousdisease. Its presence in itself introduces significant disruption to the functioning of the heart and causes the progression of heart failure. For the heart, the main risk of an aneurysm is associated with a thrombus migration or a possible rupture, it is much more dangerous than a simple tingling in the heart. For acute aneurysm, the possibility of a rupture is most characteristic, which is fatal for a person. Migration of the thrombus with this disease occurs very rarely, however, if this occurs, then the peripheral artery overlaps, which leads to the formation of a stroke, gangrene of the extremity, infarction of the kidney, etc.
Diagnostics.
In the initial phase of the diagnosis is carried outfinding out all the symptoms of the disease that were described above. Then a general examination and examination of the patient is made. One of the most characteristic signs is a strong pulsation of the upper abdomen and chest. With the help of ECG, in which specific changes are identified, it is possible to establish an accurate diagnosis. Also an aneurysm of the heart is determined with the help of ultrasound, in which it is possible to determine its location and dimensions. There are other, more sophisticated methods of diagnosis.
Treatment.
Today the main method of treating the diseaseis a surgical intervention in which the excision and suturing of this defect of the wall of the heart is performed. However, a surgical operation is prescribed only in the presence of complications of an aneurysm. This is the risk of possible thrombus migration, rapidly developing heart failure, and cardiac arrhythmias that are not amenable to drug treatment.
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