[Isolated left ventricular noncompaction in the elderly: a case report]

Abstract

A 83-year-old man with an implanted pacemaker was admitted to our hospital for dyspnea. Echocardiography revealed left ventricular dilation and diffuse hypokinesis mimicking dilated cardiomyopathy. Multiple trabeculations and deep intertrabecular recesses were prominent in the apical and posterior walls. Computed tomography with contrast medium also showed prominent trabeculations. Thallium-201 and iodine-123-beta-methyl-p-iodophenyl-pentadecanoic acid scintigraphy demonstrated fixed defects in the inferior wall. These findings were consistent with isolated noncompaction of the ventricular myocardium. The patient's symptoms of heart failure improved in response to treatment, including carvedilol. Isolated noncompaction of the ventricular myocardium is recognized as a rare congenital disorder of infancy with fatal outcomes, with some reports of cases in adults. The present patient is the most elderly described to date.