Post infarction left ventricular aneurysm and ventricular septal defect—a clinical experience at SSKM Hospital Kolkata

Patients with apical transmural myocardial infarctions are at higher risk of aneurysmal formation, followed by those with posterior-basal infarcts. Ventricular septal defect formerly occurred in 1% to 2% of patients after acute myocardial infarction in the prethrombolytic era. The incidence has dramatically decreased with reperfusion therapy. Fourty five years old housewife was admitted with an acute anterior infarction who had developed Ventricular septal defect and left ventricular aneurysm, presented with New York Heart Association class IV dyspnoea, echocardiography showed large left ventricular aneurysm with dyskinesia, large apical ventricular septal defect, ejection fraction 30%, coronary angiography: Proximal Left Anterior Decending artery (LAD) lesion 90%, Circumflex lesion 80%. There was one aneurysm of the left ventricle. The aneurysm was to the left of the left anterior descending coronary artery. The left ventricle was opened through the aneurysm. The ventricular septal defect was situated anteriorly in the apical region of the septum. The overall area was about 3 cm². It was closed with a dacron patch. The aneurysm was removed and closed with felts of Teflon.Saphenous vein grafts were inserted into the circumflex (obtuse marginal 1) and left anterior decending artery. Postoperatively no murmur was audible. Sinus rhythm was retained. Digoxin and diuretic therapy were continued and the patient was discharged from hospital 7 days after operation. A follow up echocardiographic study was done and that showed left ventricular dialatation, wall motion abnormality with moderate systolic dysfunction, no shunt across the ventricular septum, no pulmonary arterial hypertension, with ejection fraction of 35%. She remained well until 18 months after operation.     

Septal reshaping for exclusion of anteroseptal dyskinetic or akinetic areas

BACKGROUND: Our purpose is to describe a technique for exclusion of anteroseptal dyskinetic or akinetic areas. METHODS: From January to December 2002, 22 consecutive patients with myocardial infarction following left anterior descending artery occlusion underwent septal reshaping. All of them were admitted for dyspnea. Eight patients were referred for angina. After a 5 to 8 cm apical incision, 2 U stitches were passed from inside to join the anterior wall to the septum, as high as possible, following the border of the scars. An oval Dacron patch was then sutured from the septum (end of the direct suture through the border with the inferior septum) to the anterior wall (between the healthy and the scarred wall) up to the new apex. Purpose of the procedure is to maintain a longitudinal size as similar as possible to the normal. The incision was closed in a double layer. RESULTS: No patient died and only one had acute renal failure. No patients had restrictive syndrome. After a mean follow-up of 6.7 +/- 3.6 months (3 to 15), mean New York Heart Association Class improved from 2.7 +/- 1.1 to 1.2 +/- 0.3 (p < 0.001). Echocardiographic results showed reduction of left ventricle volumes and normalization of the stroke volume. In patients with low ejection fraction (相似文献   

Repair of Ventricular Septal Rupture Through the Right Atrium

A bstract The right atrial approach for repair of ventricular septal rupture associated with myocardial infarction is an alternative technique to the conventional approach of exposing the septum through the left ventricle. This technique may be combined with mitral valve replacement, infarct excision, or aneurysm resection, by avoiding a direct incision in the ventricle reduce postrepair bleeding and impairment of ventricular contractile function. We present a case of ventricular septal rupture repaired through the right atrium and review our surgical technique. This technique may be applied to most cases of ventricular septal rupture, and is particularly useful when the ventricular wall is not infarcted or aneurysmal, and the defect involves the central portion of the muscular septum, the inlet septum, and the subaortic and membranous area.     

Postinfarction ventricular septal defect. An efficacious technique for early surgical repair

Between December 1982 and June 1987, seven consecutive patients (52 to 77 years old) underwent early surgical repair of postinfarction ventricular septal defect. The defect was diagnosed 3 to 10 days after the myocardial infarction. A new repair technique was used which stresses that no part of the infarcted septum be resected. This technique consists of a transinfarction incision in the left ventricle, placement of a fine Dacron fabric patch that covers all the infarcted septum and closes the ventricular septal defect, and placement of a second Dacron fabric patch that reinforces the infarcted anterior wall of the heart and supports the buttressed double suture closure of the left ventriculotomy. One very ill patient of this series died during the operation (mortality rate 14.3%). Three patients required the help of intraaortic balloon counterpulsation postoperatively, and five needed inotropic drug support. None of the patients had excessive bleeding. Two initial patients had a small left-to-right interventricular shunt. Postoperative angiographic studies and Doppler echocardiography confirmed the existence of a nonsignificant residual ventricular septal defect in these two patients and showed good geometry of the left ventricle with no aneurysm formation in all six survivors. This technique seems to be efficacious. It can be expeditiously performed, and the risks of postoperative complications related to the technique appear to be minimal.     

The treatment of patients with recurrent ventricular fibrillation.

During the four year period from 1972 to 1975, eleven patients, eight with recurrent and three with first attacks of ventricular fibrillation, underwent aortocoronary bypass graft and/or resection of ventricular aneurysm. All patients had old myocardial infarction from seven weeks to six years. Left ventricular angiography demonstrated discrete aneurysm of the anterior wall of the left ventricle in nine of the patients and akinesis or hypokinesis of the anterior and posterior wall of the left ventricle in the remaining two. Coronary angiography was carried out in ten patients and revealed significant disease of the left anterior descending and right coronary arteries in ten and nine patients, respectively. There was no operative mortality, and there were two late deaths. Eight patients have improved significantly and have had no further sign of ventricular irritability. The present study indicates that aortocoronary bypass graft and/or resection of ventricular aneurysm is an effective method of therapy for patients with repeacted ventricular fibrillation who have ventricular aneurysm and ischemic heart disease.     

Infarction exclusion technique with transmural sutures for postinfarction ventricular septal rupture.

We present a case of postinfarction ventricular septal rupture (VSR) who underwent successful repair using a modified infarction exclusion technique. In our procedure a heterologous pericardial patch is sutured to healthy endocardium in the free wall and septum all around the infarcted area. Interrupted circular mattress sutures were placed through the ventricular wall in such a way as to exclude the VSR and the infarcted muscle of the left ventricle. We describe herein a novel procedure for repairing postinfarction VSR, by the transmural infarction exclusion technique.     

Regional differences in myocardial work of the left ventricle in patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy: Implications for the surgical technique used for left ventriculoplasty

OBJECTIVES: In this study we measured regional myocardial work of the left ventricle in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy and examined the existence of regional differences in myocardial work. BACKGROUND: Left ventriculoplasty aims to improve the ejection fraction by excluding a region with decreased wall motion and decreasing wall tension. If regional differences in myocardial work are present, left ventriculoplasty will be more effective when a region with decreased myocardial work is excluded. METHODS: The study group consisted of 10 patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. Regional work of the ventricle normalized to a unit volume of myocardium (RWM) is given as follows: RWM = -integral sigma(d)[ln(1/H)], where sigma is mean wall stress, and H is wall thickness of the region. After right-sided catheterization, left ventricular pressure was measured with a 3F micromanometer catheter. Echocardiography was performed simultaneously, and a short-axis view of the left ventricle at the level of the papillary muscles was obtained. The derived M-mode image was recorded with left ventricular pressure. sigma-ln(1/H) relations for the ventricle were delineated, and regional work of the interventricular septum and posteroinferior wall were determined. Relationships between regional work of the myocardium and wall thickness, interventricular septal regional work of the myocardium and right ventricular systolic pressure, and right ventricular ejection fraction were also studied. RESULTS: Interventricular septal regional work ranged from -0.84 to 3.34 mJ/cm3 (0.74 +/- 1.51 mJ/cm3). Posteroinferior wall regional work ranged from 1.59 to 4.29 mJ/cm3 (2.77 +/- 0.86 mJ/cm3). In the study group, interventricular septal regional work was lower than posteroinferior wall regional work (P <.05). In 8 of these 10 patients, interventricular septal regional work was lower than posteroinferior wall regional work. In the other 2 patients, conversely, interventricular septal regional work was higher than posteroinferior wall regional work. CONCLUSIONS: The existence of differences in regional work between the interventricular septum and the posteroinferior wall suggests the importance of the evaluation of regional work in the selection of an effective treatment for dilated cardiomyopathy.     

Experimental repair of ventricular septal defects using autologous right ventricular muscle flaps: preliminary report

Survival after repair of postinfarction ventricular septal defects remains poor, often due to extensive loss of contractile muscle in the septum or left ventricle. We evaluated whether a contractile flap of right ventricular muscle could be used to repair a similar ventricular septal defect to augment left ventricular performance in 7 fully instrumented mongrel dogs (weight, 23 to 28 kg). By using hypothermic bypass and cold fibrillatory arrest, a trapezoidal right ventricle flap was fashioned from the free wall of the mid to lower right ventricle, basing its widest portion anteriorly on the septum and left ventricle. A large, 2-cm-diameter core of septum was excised beneath this flap to simulate a postinfarct ventricular septal defect. The right ventricular flap was then invaginated through the defect and sewn to the left ventricular side of the septum with pledgeted sutures taken full thickness through the flap and septum in a "vest-over-pants" fashion. Contraction of the right ventricular flap was confirmed visually and by postbypass multiple gated acquisition scans. The right ventricular defect was closed with fascia lata. All dogs were weaned from bypass without inotropes. Precardiac and postcardiac outputs of 2.5 +/- 0.5 versus 2.3 +/- 0.4 L/min and left ventricular end-diastolic pressures of 4 +/- 2 versus 4 +/- 3 mm Hg were identical. No shunts were detected by oxygen saturation. Autopsies confirmed the integrity of the repair. We conclude that septal defects can be repaired by using contractile right ventricular muscle, thus preserving left ventricular function. This technique offers promise for repair of postinfarction ventricular septal defects by using autologous, already conditioned to contract, cardiac muscle, but its application in humans must await long-term testing.     

Septal wall motion. Its significance on outcome of left ventricular scar resection

To assess the importance of septal wall motion on patient outcome after resection of large akinetic and dyskinetic segments of left ventricle, the records of 70 patients undergoing left ventricular scar excision alone or in combination with myocardial revascularization procedures between January 1970 and January 1977 were reviewed. Patients requiring simultaneous prosthetic valve replacement were excluded. Preoperative left anterior oblique ventriculograms categorized this series of patients into two distinct groups, group A (36 patients) having normal septal wall motion and group B (34 patients) having akinetic or dyskinetic septal walls. Indications for operation and preoperative ejection fractions were similar in both groups. Analysis of these patients subjected to surgery with and without preoperative evidence of septal wall motion demonstrated no significant difference in either functional clinical capacity or in mortality. Mortality for both groups was 11%. Absence of ventricular septal wall motion has no significant effect on outcome of left ventricular scar resection and should not be used as a contraindication to surgery.     

Reconstruction of the left ventricle with autologous pericardium

Autologous pericardium was used to reconstruct different parts of the left ventricle in 25 desperately ill patients. Fourteen patients had intractable sepsis resulting from infective endocarditis and myocardial abscess and 10 patients had noninfectious disorders. Of the patients with infections, 12 had valvular endocarditis with periannular abscess and three had interventricular septal abscess. The noninfected patients had acute rupture of the ventricular wall after mitral valve replacement (one patient) heavily calcified or surgically absent mitral anulus (three patients), or rupture of the interventricular septum after acute myocardial infarction (six patients). The interventricular septum, the posterior wall of the left ventricle, and the periannular areas were reconstructed by suturing appropriately tailored pericardial patches directly to the endocardium. In patients who also required valve replacement, the prosthetic valve was partially or completely secured to the pericardial patch. There were three operative deaths. All three patients were in either septic or cardiogenic shock before operation and in none of them was the death related to the pericardial patch. All 22 survivors have been observed from 3 to 34 months, an average of 14 months. There has been no case of patch dehiscence, patch aneurysm, prosthetic valve dehiscence, or recurrent endocarditis. Autologous pericardium appears to be safe for reconstruction of the left ventricle. It is easy to handle and problems with suture line bleeding are practically nonexistent.     

Surgical anatomy of the infundibular septum in transposition of the great arteries with ventricular septal defect

Anatomic variation of the infundibular septum was studied in transposition of the great arteries with ventricular septal defect in 23 hearts and double-outlet right ventricle with anterior position of the aorta in two hearts. Anterior displacement of the infundibular septum (i.e., "false" Taussig-Bing heart) was associated with coarctation or interruption of the aortic arch in 88% of the cases, whereas posterior displacement resulted in subpulmonary narrowing in 100% of the cases. Anterior displacement makes intraventricular rerouting from the left ventricle to the aorta difficult because of a long oblique route. In addition, the right ventricular cavity becomes smaller after closure of the ventricular septal defect. Therefore, arterial switch accompanied with transatrial or transpulmonary closure of the defect without ventriculotomy is recommended. In hearts with posterior displacement of the infundibular septum, the anterosuperior rim of the defect is difficult to approach through the tricuspid valve, and the route from the left ventricle to the aorta is rather straight. Hence, the Rastelli procedure is preferable. In hearts without displacement of the infundibular septum, either arterial or atrial switch with transatrial closure of the ventricular septal defect is applicable.     

Dissecting aneurysm of ventricular septum following acute inferior myocardial infarction

Dissecting aneurysm of the ventricular septum as a complication after myocardial infarction (MI) is very rare. The patient was a 70-year-old women who was diagnosed with acute inferior MI. Three months after MI, catheterization showed a left ventricular aneurysm of the inferior wall, and left-to-right ventricular shunt flow was detected in the aneurysm. Echocardiography showed that the inferior left ventricular free wall was aneurysmal and dissected from the septal wall. Nine months after MI, chronic heart failure was uncontrollable by medication. At surgery, a tear (5 mm long) in the dissecting aneurysm of the ventricular septum was found and closed directly using 2 felt patches, and aneurysmectomy was performed using felt strips. The postoperative course was uneventful and she has been free from any complication for over 1 year.     

A case report of surgical septal myectomy of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with concomitant left ventricular outflow tract and mid-ventricular obstructions

A 27-year-old female presented with dyspnea, fatigue, and exertional angina is found to have hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with marked hypertrophy of the papillary muscles, apex, septum, and lateral wall of the left ventricle. Also, small left ventricular cavity and systolic anterior movement of anterior mitral leaflet were observed at the echocardiography. The Doppler echocardiography revealed severe peak gradients at the left ventricle outflow tract (105 mmHg) and mid-ventricle (80 mmHg). At the operation, septal myectomy and anterior papillary muscle resection in addition to mitral valve replacement was performed. Surgical treatment gave an excellent clinical result. Control Doppler echocardiograms revealed no left ventricular outflow tract gradient, although mid-ventricular gradient was persistent. The good results were still present 18 months after the operation.     

Postinfarction ventricular aneurysmectomy

Most operations performed for the treatment of ventricular aneurysm do not achieve maximal rehabilitation of the damaged heart. Cardiac surgeons generally ignore the importance of the flail septum that results from anteroseptal infarction. Many believe that the obstructed left anterior descending coronary artery must be carefully avoided during closure of the ventriculotomy incision. In addition, many surgeons believe that it is necessary to buttress all ventricular sutures with Teflon. For some reason, there seems to be a fear that the left ventricular volume will be reduced to an intolerable level after proper ventricular aneurysmectomy. Between January 1976 and December 1982, 102 patients underwent ventricular aneurysmectomy at St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center. The hospital mortality rate was 5.9 percent. The operative technique described emphasizes the need for foreshortening the fibrosed septum in an effort to minimize residual paradoxic motion. The left anterior descending coronary artery is routinely incorporated in the eversion technique; Teflon buttressing is never employed. Our surgical technique has evolved from a surgical experience that began in 1962 at the Cleveland Clinic Hospital.     

Surgical management of trabecular ventricular septal defects: the sandwich technique

BACKGROUND: Surgical closure of trabecular ventricular septal defects is difficult and often unsuccessful. OBJECTIVE: We performed closure of trabecular ventricular septal defects by sandwiching the septum between 2 polyester felt patches placed in the left ventricle and right ventricle without ventriculotomy. METHODS: Eleven patients (7 boys and 4 girls) underwent a sandwiching closure at a mean age of 4.7 years (range, 0.4-9.7 years) and a mean weight of 16.7 kg (range, 4.6-52 kg). Associated cardiac malformations were present in 9 of the 11 patients. Seven patients had undergone previous operations. The trabecular ventricular septal defects are exposed through the tricuspid valve and also from the left ventricular side through a coexisting large perimembranous ventricular septal defect or through the mitral valve through an interatrial septostomy. Two forceps, one each from the right and left ventricular side, lead a 3F Nelaton catheter through the trabecular defect. An oversized circular polyester felt patch mounted on a 3-0 Nespolen suture attached to the Nelaton catheter is then passed into the left ventricle. The suture ends are then passed through a slightly smaller polyester felt patch on the right ventricular side of the septum. The Nespolen suture is then tied, thereby sandwiching the septum between the 2 patches. RESULTS: Time required for the procedure was less than 20 minutes in each case. There were no hospital deaths, and the postoperative course was uneventful in all patients. There was no residual shunt in 3 patients, and a minimal residual shunt was observed in 5 patients. Mild residual shunt was observed in 3 patients. Cardiac catheterization was performed 1 month postoperatively in 8 patients in whom residual shunt was noted on echocardiography. Five of 8 patients had a minimal residual shunt (pulmonary blood flow/systemic blood flow ratio = 1.0). Three patients had a residual shunt (pulmonary blood flow/systemic blood flow ratio = 2.0, 1.6, and 1.2). The patient with a pulmonary blood flow/systemic blood flow ratio of 2.0 had a "Swiss cheese" ventricular septal defect, and a residual shunt remained around the patch. However, the residual shunt decreased to a pulmonary blood flow/systemic blood flow ratio of 1.6 at examination 16 months postoperatively. Echocardiography showed that the residual shunt had also decreased in another 2 patients. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the sandwich technique is safe and easy. Even in cases with a residual shunt present, the shunt is expected to decrease as time passes. Further experience and longer follow-up of these patients are necessary to conclude whether this technique is applicable to neonates and young infants.     

Distribution of myocardial blood flow after left coronary occlusion

Myocardial blood flow (MBF) in eight anatomically similar canine left ventricles was determined by injection of radioactive microspheres during baseline conditions and immediately after sequential occlusion of the left anterior descending (LAD) and circumflex coronary arteries (LCF). The left ventricle was divided into: posterior, lateral, anterior, and septal zones, apex and base, and endocardial epicardial layers for mapping of left ventricular MBF by gamma counting. Areas with significant flow reduction showed a reversal of the ENDO/EPI ratio to <1 from the normal ratio of 1.2–1.3. After LAD occlusion the anterior wall received more collateral flow from the LCF than did the posterior wall from the LAD after LCF occlusion. After occlusion of LCF, MBF to the posterior wall and the basal portion of the lateral wall were most severely reduced; after the occlusion of LAD only the apical portion of the anterior wall showed marked MBF reduction. The interventricular septum received considerable heterogenous flow when either the LCF or LAD was occluded.     

Anatomical problems with identification and interruption of posterior septal Kent bundles

To gain insight into the cause of the complex anatomical problems associated with posterior septal Kent bundles, 20 cadaver hearts were carefully examined and the operative results in 22 patients analyzed. The following important anatomical relationships were noted. The posterior right atrium overlies the left ventricle and muscular septum. The coronary sinus wall contains myocardium continuous with both atria. The posterior superior process of the left ventricle connects the mitral annulus to the muscular septum. The epicardium of the crux can be 2.5 to 3.5 cm from the right fibrous trigone. A Kent bundle can originate in either atrium, the atrial septum, or the coronary sinus and connect with the left ventricle or muscular septum. At operation, antegrade and retrograde activation sequences were used for identification. Antegrade maps could not be recorded in 4 patients. Two operations were used, right atrial and left atrial. The initial right atrial operation was successful in 12 patients--all 7 with earliest antegrade activation over the midpart of the muscular septum or its right side and 3 with activation on its left side. Among the 6 patients with more than one operative approach, 5 had Kent bundle division. One of the patients probably had a left free wall pathway. Two pathways thought to be free wall turned out to be septal. The Kent bundles were divided in 18 patients and missed in 4, 2 of the latter having His interruption. There were no deaths. The conclusions are that the right atrial operation is reliable when the pathways are clearly posterior septal. Surgical problems occur because Kent bundles in the posterior left free wall sometimes cannot be separated from Kent bundles in the posterior septal area. Both right atrial and left atrial operations are needed if there is doubt about the location of a pathway.     

Repair of left ventricular aneurysm. Changes in ventricular mechanics, hemodynamics, and oxygen consumption.

Anteroapical left ventricular aneurysms were produced in 23 sheep by coronary arterial ligation. Plication of the aneurysm does not change stroke volume or cardiac output and does not significantly change left ventricular oxygen consumption from the preoperative value of 5.1 +/- 2.6 ml/100 gm per minute. Plication, however, does increase left ventricular end-systolic elastance from 3.2 +/- 0.9 to 4.4 +/- 1.5 mm Hg/mm (p = 0.005). In nine of these sheep the midsagittal plane of the left ventricle was imaged by means of an array of sonomicrometry crystals before and after plication of the aneurysm. Regional wall stresses at end-systole and end-diastole and changes in diastolic function were calculated for anterior and posterior ventricular walls in the border zone adjacent to the aneurysm and in more basilar myocardium remote from the infarct. Plication significantly reduced end-systolic wall stresses and systolic stress integrals in the posterior border zone and remote myocardium, but it did not significantly change anterior wall systolic stresses or stress integrals. Plication also decreased diastolic stretching of border zone myocardium. Plication of anteroapical left ventricular aneurysm produced a shorter, more spherical ventricle and removed the dyskinetic segments but altered deformation (strain) in both circumferential and longitudinal directions. The changes in ventricular wall geometry and deformation provide an explanation for the increased ventricular end-systolic elastance and unchanged stroke volume observed after aneurysm plication.     

Assessment of perioperative predictive factors influencing survival in patients with postinfarction ventricular septal perforation. Classified by the site of myocardial infarction

BACKGROUND: The present study was designed to identify the perioperative factors and to consider a counterplan for the improvement of surgical results, based on the site of myocardial infarction. METHODS: Sixteen patients with postinfarction ventricular septal perforation underwent surgical repair. The operation was performed 5+/-3 days after the onset of ventricular septal perforation using the same method, an infarctectomy and reconstruction of the septum and right and left ventricular walls with a single Dacron patch. The ventricular septal perforation was anterior in 11 patients and posterior in 5. Preoperative hemodynamics between survivors and non-survivors were compared. Left ventricular wall motion was estimated using echocardiography by wall motion score (divided into 17 segments and each segment was graded on a fourpoint scale: normal, 0; hypokinetic, 1; severe hypokinetic, 2; a- or dyskinetic, 3) and summed up. RESULTS: The operative mortality was 36% in 11 patients with anterior ventricular septal perforation. In non-survivors compared to survivors, wall motion score was greater (25+/-4 vs 18+/-4, p<0.01) and all values were over 20. The value of the cardiac index divided by Qp/Qs was lower (0.98+/-0.09 vs 1.44+/-0.31, p<0.02) and all were under 1.1. In 5 patients with inferior ventricular septal perforation, the operative mortality was 40%. In non-survivors compared to survivors, wall motion score was greater (18, 18 vs 7, 2, 12) and the right atrial pressure was greater (18, 19 vs 10, 9, 9 mmHg) due to a right ventricular infarction. CONCLUSIONS: The patients with poor left ventricular wall motion were lost for reasons unrelated to the site of myocardial infarction. Moreover, a cardiac index over Qp/Qs in anterior ventricular septal perforation and the existence of a right ventricular infarction in inferior ventricular septal perforation was predictive of operative mortality.     

Current surgical strategy for post-infarction left ventricular aneurysm--from linear aneurysmecomy to Dor's operation.

The surgical strategy for left ventricular (LV) aneurysm after myocardial infarction has been changing recently. Conventionally, linear aneurysmectomy has been widely performed as a standard procedure for post-infarction LV aneurysm. However, this technique remains unsatisfactory because LV distortion occurs postoperatively and an akinetic or dyskinetic area persists in the ventricular septum, resulting in limited improvement of cardiac function. To overcome these problems, Dor and associates excluded all akinetic or dyskinetic myocardium from the left ventricle including the septum and placed a tight circumferential suture around the aneurysmal base to reduce the LV volume and return the LV contour to near normal (endoventricular circular patch plasty: EVCPP). As an alternative to conventional linear aneurysmectomy, EVCPP (Dor's operation) is now being performed more widely for the treatment of post-infarction LV aneurysm, and it achieves better postoperative cardiac function. Recently, EVCPP has attracted interest as a treatment for post-infarction large akinetic scars and ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM), both of which have a poor prognosis. In this article, based on the author's clinical experience and on the literature, EVCPP is reviewed with respect to its indications for patients with post-infarction LV aneurysm or large akinetic scars, and pointers and results for this technique are discussed.