[Secondary recurrent hepatitis in ventricular arrhythmia]

A major episode of hepatic cytolysis, rapidly regressive and occasionally recurrent, evokes a bilary or toxic pathology. We report an exceptional case in which several episodes of cytolysis were secondary to a paroxystic cardiac rhythm disorder.

A 44 year-old woman was hospitalized 3 times during 4 months for episodes of asthenia and rapidly regressive cytolysis. Lithiasic, viral, metabolic, autoimmune and toxic causes were eliminated. A cardiac rhythm disorder was revealed during the last two episodes and diagnosis was made of intermittent and asymptomatic ventricular tachycardia, secondary to arryhthmogenic right ventricular dysplasia, and was confirmed on the electrocardiogram, cardiac scan and magnetic resonance imaging. Treatment of the cardiac rhythm led to the absence of further relapse.

In our patient, the clinical and chronological imputability appeared highly probable. The responsibility of perturbed cardiac rhythm in the genesis of an ischemic hepatopathy is classical, but little documented. Our observation confirms that severe unexplained cytolysis requires systematic search for a cardiac rhythm disorder, even in the absence of a known or symptomatic cardiopathy.