Endoventricular patch plasty improves results of LV aneurysmectomy

From May 1985 to December 1991 52 patients were operated upon for postischemic left ventricular aneurysm (LV-A). Between May 1985 and July 1989 25 patients (group I) with a mean age of 59 (46-72) years underwent conventional aneurysmectomy with direct closure of the left ventricle (LV) and a mean of 1.9 (0-3) additional bypass grafts (54% triple-vessel disease). The hospital mortality was 8% (2/25) and the late mortality during a median follow-up time of 34 months was 28% (7/25) with a 4-year survival of 66%. Improvement in the quality of life (NYHA from 2.6 to 2.1, P = 0.078) and global left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) (from 35 to 38%) proved to be unsatisfactory in conjunction with the high late mortality rate. Between August 1989 and December 1991 a prospective series of 27 consecutive patients (group II) with a mean age of 61 (45-71) years underwent endoventricular patch plasty guided by two-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) before and after surgery. The patch size and position were calculated preoperatively by measuring the distances from the mitral annulus to the infarct area which were reproduced during surgery with a simple ruler. A mean of 2.1 (0-4) bypass grafts were added with 62% of the patients having triple-vessel disease and 19% left main stenosis (P = 0.05, group I versus II). All patients have survived to date. One patient had to be excluded, giving a median follow-up time of 14 months for 26 patients. At the 6 months' control, the mean NYHA class was improved from 2.7 to 1.6, (P = 0.0001).