title: Long-term follow-up of right ventricular monomorphic extrasystoles.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to verify in a long-term follow-up whether frequent monomorphic right ventricle extrasystoles may progress to arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia (ARVD).
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Frequent monomorphic right ventricle extrasystoles are generally considered benign. However, in patients with this pattern, cardiac magnetic resonance (MR) has recently shown anatomical and functional abnormalities of the right ventricle.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-one patients who had been classified by noninvasive examinations as having frequent idiopathic right ventricle ectopy were contacted after 15 +/- 2 years (12 to 20) and submitted to clinical examination, electrocardiogram (ECG), Holter monitoring, stress test, signal averaged ECG, echocardiography and, in 11 patients, cardiac MR. The primary end point was to ascertain the presence of cases of sudden death or progression to ARVD.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At the end of the follow-up, 55 patients were alive; six died, none of sudden death; eight stated to be well but refused further examinations. The 47 patients examined had normal ECG; in 24 patients (51%), extrasystoles were no longer present at Holter monitoring; late potentials were present in up to 15% of the patients; the right ventricle was normal at echocardiography. In 8 of 11 patients (73%), cardiac MR showed focal fatty replacement and other abnormalities of the right ventricle.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this long-term follow-up study, no patient died of sudden death nor developed ARVD; two-thirds of the patients were asymptomatic, and, in half of the patients, ectopy had disappeared. Focal fatty replacement in the right ventricle was present in most.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology of the Civil Hospital of Asti, Italy. gaitaf@tin.it
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gaita
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Giustetto
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Di Donna
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Richiardi
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Libero
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Brusin
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Molinari
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Trevi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D019571:Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002648:Child; D018450:Disease Progression; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013599:Systole; D018497:Ventricular Dysfunction, Right / Q000175:diagnosis*; D017725:Ventricular Pressure