[Transient hypertrophic neonatal myocardiopathy after acute fetal distress]

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is rare in neonates. The causes include metabolic disease, maternal diabetes, dexamethasone therapy in premature newborns for bronchopulmonary dysplasia and idiopathic hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The authors present a case report regarding a neonate with transient hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, after acute fetal distress. Signs of congestive cardiac failure appeared at day 1. Echocardiography showed signs of mild pulmonary hypertension and normal ventricular wall thickness. Echocardiography on day 2 showed hypertrophy of myocardial walls affecting first the right ventricular anterior wall and the interventricular septum, followed by the left ventricular posterior wall. With therapy, clinical improvement was noted on day 4. The ventricular wall thickness was almost normal at three weeks. The authors alert physicians to the importance of echocardiographic examination of these neonates.