Percutaneous Closure of Ventricle Pseudoaneurysm—A Complication of Endomyocardial Biopsy in a Pediatric Heart Transplant Recipient: A Case Report

A pseudoaneurysm of the heart forms when the ventricular wall perforates and is surrounded by a pericardial lamina.This condition is a rare but potentially life-threatening complication of intracardiac procedures.Endomyocardial biopsy is a safe diagnostic method; however, a small percentage of patients suffer complications, such as perforation of the cardiac wall.This report details the percutaneous management of a pseudoaneurysm following endomyocardial biopsy after orthotopic heart transplantation.Endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) is considered the gold standard for the diagnosis and monitoring of acute rejection in heart transplant recipients. 1 The protocol of performing EMBs after orthotopic heart transplantation (OHT) varies.At our institution, 6 EMBs are performed in the first year after OHT, followed by yearly procedures thereafter.Previously, 8 EMBs were conducted during the first year.Cardiac perforation, as a complication after EMB, occurs in 0.9% procedures among the pediatric population. 2 As surgical management is a preferable way to supply this complication, a percutaneous pathway could be beneficial.