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Transient Left Ventricular “Hypertrophy” in a Woman with Meningoencephalitis
Author(s) -
Maeder Micha,
Wolber Thomas,
Rickli Hans,
Ammann Peter
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
echocardiography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.404
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1540-8175
pISSN - 0742-2822
DOI - 10.1111/j.1540-8175.2006.00263.x
Subject(s) - cardiology , medicine , ventricle , ejection fraction , myocarditis , thickening , basal (medicine) , left ventricular hypertrophy , heart failure , blood pressure , chemistry , polymer science , insulin
We report the echocardiographic findings in a 27‐year‐old woman with viral meningoencephalitis and a positive test for cardiac troponin. Initially, the basal parts of the left ventricle were severely hypokinetic, whereas contraction in the mid‐ventricle and apex was normal. A second echocardiogram obtained 19 days after the development of pulmonary edema showed a generalized, severe myocardial thickening, the left ventricular ejection fraction being normal. Three months after the initial examination the “hypertrophy” had disappeared. The serial echocardiograms along with a positive cardiac troponin led to the diagnosis of myocarditis, which can very rarely present with the echocardiographic picture of severe left ventricular thickening.