Left ventricular noncompaction: diagnosis by three-dimensional echocardiography.
Left ventricular noncompaction (LVNC) is a rare congenital disease caused by an arrest in normal myocardial embryogenesis, leading to persistence of numerous prominent trabeculations that communicate with the left ventricle. It was first described as a congenital condition affecting children, but several cases have been reported of late presentation. The main clinical manifestations are congestive heart failure, arrhythmias (supraventricular or ventricular) and systemic embolism. We present the case of a 51-year-old patient brought to our emergency department after an episode of symptomatic ventricular flutter requiring electrical cardioversion. Two-dimensional echocardiography with color Doppler suggested the diagnosis and the three-dimensional echocardiogram revealed the deep trabeculations typical of LVNC.
Correia
Emanuel
E
Serviço de Cardiologia, Hospital de S. Teotónio EPE, Viseu, Portugal. emanuelbaptista@gmail.com
Santos
Luís Ferreira
LF
Rodrigues
Bruno
B
Gama
Pedro
P
Ferreira
Pedro
P
Nunes
Luis
L
Pipa
João
J
Cabral
Costa
C
Dionísio
Odete
O
Santos
Oliveira
O
D019560:Echocardiography, Three-Dimensional; D006801:Humans; D056830:Isolated Noncompaction of the Ventricular Myocardium / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged