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Isolated left ventricular noncompaction: a small, noncompacted segment may cause serious complications
Introduction:
Isolated left ventricular noncompaction is a rare form of cardiomyopathy. Heart failure with deteriorated systolic function is the hallmark of this cardiomyopathy. Albeit it may cause ventricular tachycardia (VT) and systemic embolism, it is a rarity to see these complications in a patient with noncompaction and normal systolic functions.
Case Report:
A 78-year old female patient with a history of cerebrovascular accident admitted to our hospital with palpitation and subsequently developed cardiopulmonary arrest. Her ECG showed ventricular tachycardia degenerated into fibrillation. Echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) revealed a small noncompacted segment in left ventricular apex. Ventricular tachycardia was induced in electrophysiologic study and an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator was implanted.
Discussion:
Patients with isolated left ventricular noncompaction usually present with heart failure symptoms and subsequently diagnosed with echocardiography. Rarely, it may cause ventricular tachycardia and systemic embolism in a patient with normal systolic functions and a small noncompacted segment. Noncompaction should be carefully sought in unexplained ventricular tachycardia and cerebrovascular accidents, even if heart failure is not present.
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