CTICasesPost-LVAD Diaphragmatic Defect
Imaging findings
Coronal CT reconstruction of a patient who underwent a heart transplant following left ventricular assist device (LVAD) explant reveals a persistent post-surgical defect in the left hemidiaphragm. The defect is located where the LVAD cannula previously traversed the diaphragm into the left ventricular apex, with continuous abdominal vessels and residual tissue tracking through the opening.
Key takeaways
Older generations of left ventricular assist devices were often placed in an abdominal pocket, requiring cannulas to pass directly through the diaphragm to the heart. Following heart transplantation and device explant, a permanent diaphragmatic defect or hernia may remain, which must be recognized on subsequent imaging as a benign, expected post-surgical alteration.
AI-assisted summary — may contain errors. Verify against the source video. Learn more
More from this webinar
- Type B Aortic DissectionVascular
- Extrapleural Hematoma and Esophageal RuptureTrauma
- IgG4-Related DiseaseAutoimmune
- Pulmonary Artery SarcomaNeoplastic
- Pembrolizumab-Induced Sarcoid-Like ReactionInflammatory
- Metastatic Renal Cell CarcinomaNeoplastic
- Minimally Invasive Pulmonary AdenocarcinomaNeoplastic
- Invasive Pulmonary AdenocarcinomaNeoplastic
See all cases from May 5, 2017 →
Related Iatrogenic cases
- Low-Positioned Intra-Aortic Balloon Pump causing Mesenteric Ischemia
- Venous Air Embolism and Non-Cardiogenic Pulmonary Edema
- Left Ventricular Outflow Tract Obstruction by Mitral Valve Bioprosthesis
- Mitral Annuloplasty Ring Dehiscence with Paravalvular Regurgitation
- Riata Pacemaker Lead Externalization
- Selective Left Pulmonary Edema due to Impella RP Malposition