Case report

Interventricular septum hematoma during cineventriculography

Andrea Grohmann¹ , Thomas Elgeti² , Stephan Eddicks¹ , Fabian Knebel¹ , Wolfgang Rutsch¹ , Christoph Melzer¹ , Gert Baumann¹ and Adrian C Borges¹

¹  Department of Cardiology and Angiology, Charite Campus Mitte, Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany

²  Department of Radiology, Charite Campus Mitte, Universitatsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany

author email corresponding author email

Cardiovascular Ultrasound 2008, 6:4doi:10.1186/1476-7120-6-4

Published:	16 January 2008

Abstract

Background

Intraseptal hematoma and subsequent myocardial infarction due to accidental contrast agent deposition complicating diagnostic cineventriculography is a previously undescribed complication of angiography.

Case presentation

A 61 year old man was admitted at intensive care unit because of unstable angina pectoris 1 hour after coronary angiography. Transthoracic contrast echocardiography showed a non-perfused area in the middle of interventricular septum with an increase of thickening up to 26 mm. Review of cineventriculography revealed contrast enhancement in the interventricular septum after contrast medium injection and a dislocation of the pigtail catheter tip. Follow up by echocardiography and MRI showed, that intramural hematoma has resolved after 6 weeks. After 8 weeks successful stent implantation in LAD was performed and after 6 month the patient had a normal LV-function without ischemic signs or septal thickening demonstrated by stressechocardiography.

Conclusion

A safe and mobile position of the pigtail catheter during ventriculography in the middle of the LV cavity should be ensured to avoid this potentially life-threatening complication. For assessment and absolute measurement of intramural hematoma contrast-enhanced echocardiography is more feasible than MRI and makes interchangeable results.