Cerebrovascular events in left ventricular hypertrabeculation/noncompaction with and without myopathy.
Little is known about frequency, morphology, and causes of stroke in patients with left-ventricular hypertrabeculation/noncompaction (LVHT). Aim of this study was to find out how many LVHT-patients suffer from stroke, which abnormalities are found on cerebral imaging, and if stroke LVHT-patients differ from non-stroke LVHT-patients with regard to cardiac and neuromuscular abnormalities.


METHODS
Records of all included patients were reviewed for stroke diagnosed upon history, clinical examination, or cerebral CT/MRI (CCT, cMRI).


RESULTS
Among 104 LVHT-patients included, stroke was diagnosed in 16 (15%). Of these two had a transitory ischemic attack and one a prolonged ischemic deficit. Among 36 patients undergoing a CCT (n=32), cMRI (n=9), or both (n=5) territorial stroke was found in 7, lacunar stroke in 2, and intracerebral bleeding in 1. Other imaging findings were atrophy (n=7), microangiopathy (n=4), leucencephalopathy (n=3), basal-ganglia-calcification (n=2), or non-specific hypodensities (n=2). Imaging studies without vascular lesions were found in 2 patients. At least one classical risk factor for stroke was found in 15 patients. Stroke-patients did not differ from non-stroke-patients regarding cardiac or neuromuscular findings.


CONCLUSIONS
If systematically looked for, stroke is a frequent feature of LVHT. A causal relation between LVHT and stroke, however, is rather the exception than the rule.
Finsterer
Josef
J
Krankenanstalt Rudolfstiftung, Postfach 20, 1180 Vienna, Austria.
Stollberger
Claudia
C
Mölzer
Günther
G
Winkler-Dworak
Maria
M
Blazek
Gerhard
G
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D009202:Cardiomyopathies / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020766:Intracranial Embolism / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009468:Neuromuscular Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult