[Ventricular aneurysm in chronic Chagas' disease. The experience of the Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez].

This work describes the incidence of ventricular aneurysms in patients with angiographically normal epicardial coronary arteries, who have epidemiological, clinical and serologic features suggesting chronic Chagasic cardiomyopathy (C.C.C). Eight out of 22 patients (36%) with such features had ventricular aneurysm. Three were located on the apex, 3 anteroapical and 2 basal. All patients had arrhythmia. In a case it was necessary a surgical approach to control a medically intractable life threatening ventricular tachyarrhythmia. In regard of the incidence of ventricular aneurysms in C.C.C., our results are in agreement with published experiences in South America. Surgical treatment of chagasic aneurysm should be considered when medical treatment is unable to control dangerous arrhythmia and an electrophysiological study supports this approach.