Left ventricular noncompaction cardiomyopathy: a case report and literature review

Left ventricular noncompaction cardiomyopathy (LVNC) is a relatively rare congenital disorder prominently characterized by prominent trabeculations and intertrabecular recesses that communicate with the ventricular cavity rather than the coronary circulation. LVNC can occur in isolation or coexist with other cardiac and/or systemic anomalies, in especial neuromuscular disorders. The clinical presentation varies ranging from asymptomatic patients to patients who develop ventricular arrhythmias, thromboembolism, heart failure and sudden cardiac death. Although LVNC is commonly diagnosed by echocardiography, there are also other useful diagnostic techniques, including contrast ventriculography, CT and MRI. Now, it is being diagnosed more frequently in patients of all ages because of increased awareness and improvements in imaging methods. We described the case of a woman who presented with heart failure for the first time at 62 years of age. The diagnosis was LVNC. Transthoracic echocardiography showed a trabeculated, sponge-like appearance of the ventricular apical and inferolateral segments. After medical management, the patient was asymptomatic at the 1-month follow-up examination. Now we discussed the diagnosis of this case and reviewed the medical literature that pertained to LVNC.