Extreme hypertrophy of the left atrial appendage

Congenital Giant Aneurysm of the Left Atrial Appendage Mimicking Pericardial Absence

“…Approximately 50 cases have been reported worldwide, 1 the first being reported in 1960 by Diamond et al, 5 and it accounts for approximately 70% of cases of congenital left atrial aneurysms. In Japan, only 2 cases have been reported previously, 2,3 including the first case by Tanabe et al 3 In the past, this condition has been diagnosed by transthoracic echocardiography, 6 chest radiography, 7,8 cardiac catheterization and thoracotomy.…”

Erstdiagnose eines Aneurysmas des linken Vorhofohres bei einer 69-jährigen Patientin

“…Beschrieben sind Verwechslungen mit einem Aneurysma der Aorta ascendens [2], einem lokalisierten Perikarderguss oder einer akzessorischen Pulmonalvene [9]. Große Aneurysmata können zu einer Verbreiterung des Herzschattens im Röntgenbild oder zur Kompression von Koronararterien mit Angina-pectoris-Beschwerden führen [3,6].…”

Anatomical basis for the treatment of agenesis of the left pericardium

“…The following year Dahl (1937) was the first to establish a pneumopericardium during induction of a left pneumothorax for the treatment of tuberculosis. Southworth and Stevenson (1938) described the principal clinical features ; Ellis et al (1959) emphasised the value of artificial pneumothorax in the diagnosis of pericardial agenesis; Dimond et al (1960) demonstrated radiologically a hernia of the left atrium through a breach in the pericardium. Finally Saint-Pierre and Froment (1970) then Coquillaud et al (1972) analysed the various features of the disorder in review articles.…”

“…1972) ; incarceration of the heart within such a hernia may produce no symptoms or conversely may be the cause of sudden death, a situation first described by Boxall (1887). When the left atrium herniates it is usually found to be unusually large (Froment et al 1967), or may even show ectasia as in the case described by Dimond et al (1960); atrial thrombosis is less common than when the hernia exists without pericardial agenesis associated with it (Froment et al 1967;Wright et al 1970). Associated malformations of very variable type and number are associated with pericardial agenesis in a little over half the cases (Saint-Pierre and Froment 1970): cardiovascular anomalies (in particular left to right shunts, pulmonary stenoses and Tetralogy of Fallot), or extra-cardiac anomalies: abdominal cavity (particularly umbilical hernia or left diaphragmatic hernia), mediastinal (broncogenic cyst in particular, pulmonary (sequestration, pulmonary lobulation, bronchial atresia...).…”