Long-Term Survival With Left Ventricular Aneurysm: The Cardiac Ball That Didn't Burst.

BACKGROUND

Left ventricular aneurysm (LVA) is a mechanical complication of transmural myocardial infarction associated with heart failure, arrhythmias, and thromboembolism. Its incidental detection on routine imaging remains uncommon and clinically challenging.

CASE SUMMARY: A 58-year-old man with ischemic cardiomyopathy and heart failure with reduced ejection fraction presented with upper respiratory symptoms. Chest x-ray revealed a round radiopacity adjacent to the cardiac silhouette. Multimodality imaging, including transthoracic echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance, confirmed a giant inferolateral LVA (12.0 × 8.6 × 7.2 cm). Surgical intervention was recommended but declined; the patient has remained stable under optimized medical therapy and anticoagulation for 2 years.

DISCUSSION: Giant LVAs may remain clinically silent for years. This case illustrates that optimized medical therapy with long-term anticoagulation and close multidisciplinary follow-up may be considered as a fallback strategy when surgery is declined or precluded by prohibitive operative risk.

TAKE-HOME MESSAGES: A round opacity on chest x-ray may reveal a giant LVA. Multimodality imaging and individualized, multidisciplinary management are essential; when surgery is declined or not feasible, optimized medical therapy remains a valid strategy under close follow-up.