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Morphological and Functional Assessment of the Right Ventricle Using 3D Echocardiography
07:11

Morphological and Functional Assessment of the Right Ventricle Using 3D Echocardiography

Published on: October 28, 2020

Left ventricular involvement in right ventricular dysplasia/cardiomyopathy

F V Lobo1, M D Silver, J Butany

  • 1Hamilton General Hospital, Hamilton, Canada. lobof@hamcivhos.on.ca

The Canadian Journal of Cardiology
|December 1, 1999
PubMed

Insights

Left ventricular (LV) involvement is common in arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia/cardiomyopathy (ARVD/C), often affecting the LV free wall and septum. Pathologists must carefully examine hearts for these subtle LV changes.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Pathology
  • Cardiac Morphology
  • Histopathology

Background:

  • Arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia/cardiomyopathy (ARVD/C) is a primary myocardial disease.
  • Left ventricular (LV) involvement is increasingly recognized but less understood than right ventricular pathology.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To define the pathological characteristics of LV involvement in ARVD/C.
  • To assess the prevalence and patterns of LV myocardial changes in a cohort of ARVD/C patients.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective morphological analysis of 17 hearts from individuals with ARVD/C.
  • Inclusion of cases with sudden cardiac death and explanted hearts due to arrhythmias or heart failure.
  • Detailed gross and microscopic examination of both right and left ventricles.

Main Results:

  • All 17 hearts exhibited typical right ventricular features of ARVD/C and evidence of LV wall involvement.
  • LV free wall was affected in all cases, and the ventricular septum (VS) in 15.
  • Histological findings included myocyte atrophy and inflammation, with more severe LV changes in older patients.

Conclusions:

  • LV free wall and frequent VS involvement are likely in ARVD/C patients with longer survival.
  • LV involvement may be missed on gross examination and requires diligent histological assessment.
  • Examination of appropriate histological sections from both LV free wall and septum is crucial for accurate diagnosis.
Abstract

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