[Chronic Heart Failure With Preserved Systolic Function and Reversible Dilatation of Cardiac Chambers]

Diagnosis of dilation (D) cardiomyopathy (CMP) requires exclusion not only of inflammatory and genetically determined forms but also of some rare diseases. This 51 year old patient with history of moderate arterial hypertension approached a cardiologist because of new onset atrial fibrillation and dyspnea. Echocardiography detected dilation of all cardiac chambers with relatively preserved ejection fraction, causing suspicion of DCMP. Among conditions excluded were coronary atherosclerosis, congenital heart defect with left to right shunt, primary pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary embolism, hypertensive heart, tachycardia induced CMP, arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia, noncompaction myocardium. Further examination revealed massive pelvic arteriovenous malformation with branches of right internal iliac artery and inferior mesenteric artery as feeding vessels. This malformation was considered the leading cause of DCMP. Successful multistage embolization of feeding arteries was associated with reduction of cardiac chambers, alleviation of valvular regurgitation and pulmonary hypertension, restoration of sinus rhythm. Presentation of this case is followed by discussion of possible mechanisms of heart failure with high cardiac output and preserved systolic function in patients with arteriovenous malformations with left to right shunt. Approaches to interventional treatment of these malformations are also discussed.