Surgical repair of a giant congenital left atrial aneurysm presenting
with respiratory distress in a neonate
- Alwaleed Al-Dairy,
- hazem aljasem,
- Samir Srour
Abstract
Congenital left atrial aneurysm is a very rare congenital cardiac
anomaly, and very few cases have been reported with neonatal
presentation. Despite the congenital origin of this condition, it may
remain asymptomatic and patients may not present until their third
decade of life. Even in asymptomatic cases, prompt surgical intervention
is indicated for the prevention of fatal thromboembolic events such as
stroke. In neonates and infants presenting early in life, surgical
intervention is urgent to relieve respiratory distress symptoms. Herein,
we introduce the case of a 3-week-old neonate who presented with severe
respiratory distress symptoms requiring prompt intubation and mechanical
ventilation. Diagnosis of congenital left atrial aneurysm was
established and confirmed by transthoracic echocardiography and computed
tomography angiography. The patient underwent surgical resection of the
aneurysm using cardiopulmonary bypass and cardiac arrest. The patient
was discharged from the hospital after three weeks with normal
echocardiography.