Quantitative angiographic identification of functional left ventricular aneurysms

Thirty-three 30° RAO left-ventricular angiograms with postinfarction aneurysms were analyzed to determine whether some quantitative variables could describe their morphological characteristics. Seventeen aneurysms were classified as functional (localized without a clear neck), and 16 as true (with a saccular shape). Left-ventricular volumes and global ejection fractions did not differ between the two types. The volume of functional aneurysms as a fraction of global end-diastolic volume was significantly larger (24.4±10.6% versus 13.2±8.5%, p=0.01). The end-systolic shape of ventricles with a functional aneurysm was more circular (77±6 versus 71±7, p<0.05) and showed a significantly smoother transition between contractile and noncontractile regions in the anterior site. The anatomic characteristics of resected areas in operated patients were similar in the two types of aneurysms