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Published on: July 18, 2014
Malignant ventricular tachycardia in acromegaly: a case report
Zhe An1, Yu-quan He1, Guo-hui Liu1
1Department of Cardiology, China-Japan United Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China.
Insights
Acromegaly patients experiencing ventricular tachyarrhythmias may benefit from implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) and pituitary adenoma removal. This combined approach effectively controlled arrhythmias and prevented sudden death in a case study.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Endocrinology
- Neurosurgery
Background:
- Cardiovascular complications, including sudden death from ventricular tachyarrhythmias, are a primary cause of mortality in acromegaly patients.
- Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) are effective in managing life-threatening ventricular tachyarrhythmias in the general population.
Observation:
- A 50-year-old male with acromegaly presented with syncope due to ventricular tachycardia.
- The patient underwent simultaneous surgical implantation of an ICD and complete removal of the pituitary adenoma causing acromegaly.
Findings:
- The surgical intervention was successful, effectively terminating the ventricular arrhythmias.
- During a six-month follow-up period, no recurrent arrhythmic episodes were documented in the patient.
Implications:
- Combined ICD implantation and pituitary adenoma resection may offer an effective therapeutic strategy for acromegaly patients with malignant ventricular tachyarrhythmias.
- This case highlights the critical link between endocrine disorders and cardiac electrophysiology, necessitating a multidisciplinary approach to patient management.
Context:
In patients with acromegaly, cardiovascular complications are the main cause of death; sudden death has been associated with ventricular tachyarrhythmias. In other patients with life-threatening malignant ventricular tachyarrhythmias, surgical placement of an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) has proved highly effective in reducing sudden death rates.
Case Report:
The present article reports the case of a 50-year-old male acromegalic patient who presented symptoms of syncope induced by ventricular tachycardia. An ICD was surgically implanted and a pituitary adenoma, which was responsible for the acromegaly, was completely removed in the same procedure. The surgery was successful and the ventricular arrhythmias were effectively terminated. During six months of follow-up, no documented arrhythmic episodes occurred.
Conclusion:
In patients with acromegaly, malignant ventricular tachyarrhythmia might be effectively controlled by implantation of an ICD and surgical removal of the pituitary adenoma.
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