Left Ventricular Noncompaction Cardiomyopathy

Our echocardiography laboratory was consulted to determine whether a patient's echocardiogram would fulfill the criteria of left ventricular noncompaction cardiomyopathy (LVNC). Images of the left ventricle showed a 2-layer structure with a compacted, thin epicardial band and a much thicker noncompacted endocardial layer of trabecular meshwork with deep endomyocardial spaces. In addition, there was color Doppler evidence of deep perfusion of these intertrabecular recesses. The predominant localization of the pathology was lateral and apical, with a ratio of end-systolic noncompacted to compacted layers of 2.4. Thus, from an imaging point of view, everything seemed to fit the diagnosis of LVNC. However, comprehensive workup with medical information from the past revealed a different cause of cardiomyopathy.In 2010, the patient had already been referred to our hospital because …