Annular subvalvular left ventricular aneurysm: a case report

Abstract

Annular sub-valvular left ventricular aneurysm is a rare condition that has been described predominantly in southern and western African Black patients. Sporadic cases have, however, been reported among Blacks in several parts of Africa and indeed among a few Caucasians worldwide. A report in 1979 described the case of a Zimbabwean living in South Africa who died of complications related to this condition. Although the features of annular sub-valvular left ventricular aneurysm were recognized as early as 1813, it was Abrahams working in Nigeria in 1962 who described a series of 12 patients identifying this condition as a distinct clinico-pathological entity. In this article we report of a patient with annular sub-valvular aneurysm which perforated initially into the left atrium and later along the free wall causing sudden death of the patient.