Characteristics of double-chambered right ventricle in adult patients.
OBJECTIVE
This study evaluated the clinical features of double-chambered right ventricle (DCRV) in adults. Most cases of DCRV are diagnosed and treated during childhood. Consequently, very few reports include cases in which its clinical characteristics are evident in adults.


METHODS
We reviewed the clinical data for 10 adult patients (age > or = 18 years) with DCRV.


RESULTS
Electrocardiogram showed right ventricular hypertrophy in 3 DCRV patients. All cases were associated with ventricular septal defect (VSD; 7 for perimembranous, 2 for muscular outlet, and 1 for the subarterial type). Surgical correction was done for 7 DCRV patients all of whom survived operations. Their follow-up echocardiogram showed the pressure gradient in their right ventricle was significantly decreased from 69.4 +/- 17.2 mmHg preoperatively to 10.2 +/- 5.0 mmHg postoperatively (p < 0.05). In the short-term follow-up, there was no significant increase in the pressure gradient in the right ventricle.


CONCLUSIONS
There are lots of cases of DCRV that are not diagnosed accurately in adults. In our experience, all DCRV cases had VSD and surgical correction of these cases showed excellent results. Therefore, accurate diagnosis of DCRV is necessary so that DCRV is not overlooked and operations are enabled within an appropriate time.
Choi
Yu Jeong
YJ
Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Eulji University School of Medicine, Daejeon, Korea.
Park
Seung Woo
SW
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006345:Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery*; D006352:Heart Ventricles; D006801:Humans; D017380:Hypertrophy, Right Ventricular / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018497:Ventricular Dysfunction, Right / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery*; D055815:Young Adult