[Congenital and acquired right ventricular dysplasia]

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia has been described as a developmental malformation occurring during foetal life. This explains a number of familial cases of this condition where dysplasia was the result of a genetic abnormality transmitted in an autosomal dominant mode with incomplete penetrance. Histological data of peroperative or post-mortem specimens of 27 cases showed a large number of grape-like lymphoplasmocytic infiltrations. These appearances suggest an inflammatory origin of the disease, most probably related to an infective etiology. The authors suggest that in addition to the congenital form there may also be a possibility of acquiring arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia after an episode of myocarditis.