Repair of Posterior Left Ventricular Aneurysm through Transatrial Approach

Abstract Repair of posterior left ventricular ischemic aneurysms implies an extracardiac approach to reshape the ventricular geometry frequently associated with mitral surgery. A transatrial technique was described for lesions following mitral surgery or for subvalvular idiopathic cases. A transmitral approach was used for ischemic or traumatic pseudoaneurysm. We describe a case of postinfarction posterior true aneurysm with associated mitral incompetence. Both lesions were treated through an intracardiac approach. The posterior mitral leaflet was detached posteriorly to close the aneurysm with a patch, and the valve replaced sparing all subvalvular apparatus. This technique seems to be safe and allows to treat both lesions avoiding ventriculotomy. (J Card Surg 2010;25:23-25)