Left ventricular apical diastolic collapse: an unusual echocardiographic marker of postoperative cardiac tamponade

Background: Apical Left ventricular diastolic collapse is a rare phenomenon occasionally observed in patients with late postoperative pericardial effusion.Case Report: A 16-year-old girl was evaluated for fatigue by transthoracic echocardiogram fourteen weeks after mitral valve replacement. The transthoracic echocardiogram showed a large compartmentalized pericardial effusion with a left ventricular apical diastolic collapse. The patient’s clinical and echocardiographic findings improved with conservative management.Conclusions: Our case represents atypical echocardiographic finding and clinical course of post-operative pericardial effusion.

Keywords: postoperative pericardial effusion, left ventricular collapse, tamponade, management