Prenatal echocardiographic appearance of arrhythmogenic right ventricle dysplasia: a case report

We report a case of arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia (ARVD) diagnosed prenatally by echocardiography at 24 weeks gestation. The 4-chamber view showed a large outpouched area extending from below the tricuspid valve to the insertion of the moderator band; the affected wall appeared thin and akinetic, with absence of flow at color Doppler investigation and no evidence of cardiovascular failure. The size of the outpouched area was unchanged at subsequent controls (25 and 26 weeks gestation) when frequent extrasystoles occurred, probably of a ventricular origin. The pregnancy was terminated at 27 weeks. The histopathologic examination of the fetal heart showed the presence of clusters of adipocytes interspersed with myocardial fibers, consistent with the diagnosis of ARVD.