Minimally invasive repair of left ventricular pseudoaneurysm after transapical transcatheter aortic valve replacement

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement is becoming a routine procedure to treat severe symptomatic aortic stenosis. At most transcatheter aortic valve replacement centers, transapical access is a frequent alternative for use in patients whose ileofemoral access is inadequate. Transapical access is increasingly applied to a variety of other structural heart and aortic procedures as well. There is a caveat, however. When performed in elderly patients with friable myocardium, transapical access is associated with such serious sequelae as bleeding and left ventricular apical pseudoaneurysmal formation. Here, we describe the case of a 70-year-old woman who developed a left ventricular apical pseudoaneurysm 3 weeks after transapical transcatheter aortic valve replacement. Our successful repair took a minimally invasive left lateral approach that involved peripheral cardiopulmonary bypass cannulation, Foley catheter occlusion and primary defect closure, and BioGlue reinforcement.