Multimodality imaging for the diagnosis of left ventricular apical hypoplasia: A case presentation and review of the literatures

Echocardiography. 2024 Mar;41(3):e15793. doi: 10.1111/echo.15793.

Abstract

Left ventricular apical hypoplasia is a rare malformation recently described congenital abnormality characterized by: (1) truncation of the left ventricle, with the septum projecting toward the right ventricle; (2) abnormal papillary muscle originating from the flattened left ventricular apex; (3) a narrow right ventricle encompassing the periapical area of the left ventricle; (4) fatty infiltration of the apex of the left ventricle. We reported a case of LVAH and reviewed the patient's clinical presentation. And its morphologic characteristics were revealed by multimodality imaging, including echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. Additionally, we reviewed 41 cases from 32 reports to summarize the pathogenesis and analyzed the imaging manifestations of LVAH in this study, aiming to provide new ideas for the diagnosis and clinical management of LVAH patients.

Keywords: echocardiography; left ventricular apical hypoplasia; magnetic resonance imaging; multimodality imaging; myocardial contrast echocardiography; ultrasound enhancing agent.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Echocardiography
  • Heart Ventricles / abnormalities
  • Heart Ventricles / diagnostic imaging
  • Humans
  • Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome* / diagnosis
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Multimodal Imaging
  • Papillary Muscles