Key result
Conservative resection safely manages giant LAA aneurysms despite their high embolic risk.
Why the study?
Giant left atrial appendage aneurysm is an uncommon and serious condition that can mimic pericardial effusion on echocardiography and cause life-threatening complications in children.
Giant left atrial appendage aneurysms can mimic pericardial effusions on echocardiography and can be successfully managed with surgical resection.
May support resection feasibility in giant LAA aneurysms; leaves open prospective confirmation of embolic risk reduction.
Left atrial appendage (LAA) aneurysm or giant LAA is an uncommon condition. It could be discovered incidentally during echocardiography examination or in symptomatic patients presenting with tachycardia or embolic events. The giant LAA is a serious condition with a high embolic risk that can cause respiratory distress and even cardiac arrest in children. A conservative surgical approach based on resection of the LAA is recommended and is mostly safe. We report the case of a four-year-old girl presenting with a symptomatic giant LAA removed successfully. The echo-cardiographer must be aware of its appearance mimicking a pericardial effusion and focus on its possible association with other congenital lesions. There are several therapeutic strategies, all with proven efficacy and safety.
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Elkarimi et al. (2023) studied this question. Giant left atrial appendage aneurysm poses a high embolic risk and can lead to severe complications, but conservative resection is a safe treatment option.
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