Is an apical aneurysm an indication to test for Chagas’ disease?
Saw a patient with an incidental finding of left ventricular apical aneurysm – she had known nonobstructive coronary disease and no HCM, and I remembered that Chagas is on the differential but not how high. We don’t see it often, but we probably also underdiagnose it, so remember this line from the Circ article conclusion: “A chagasic origin should be considered in the differential diagnosis of a cardiomyopathy patient with a positive epidemiological history and serology, suggestive ECG abnormalities, and apical aneurysm.”
Acquatella H. Echocardiography in Chagas Heart Disease. Circulation. 2007;115(9):1124-1131. doi:https://doi.org/10.1161/circulationaha.106.627323
