Acute cardiac and neurologic decompensation in a high school athlete

Correlation between pathoanatomic findings, imaging modalities, and genetic findings in patients with left ventricular hypertrabeculation/noncompaction

Introduction: Left ventricular hypertrabeculation, also named 'noncompaction' (LVHT) is a cardiac abnormality which is detected by pathoanatomic investigation or during cardiac surgery. Imaging techniques visualize LVHT by ventriculography, echocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI) and computed tomography (CT).Areas covered: We aimed to assess 1) how often the definition of LVHT was validated against a criterion standard, 2) if inter- and intra-observer agreement was assessed, and 3) how often LVHT was associated with genetic diseases. A literature search disclosed 58 cases whose hearts were investigated pathoanatomically and by ≥1 imaging technique. Echocardiography was most frequently (95%) compared with pathoanatomy, followed by cMRI (31%), ventriculography (7%) and CT (5%). Intra- and inter-observer agreement was more frequently assessed for cMRI definitions and yielded more consistent results than for echocardiographic definitions. Since genetic findings were only reported from 4 of the 58 cases, no association with imaging findings could be carried out.Expert opinion: Correlation between pathoanatomic investigations with imaging techniques will hopefully contribute to reliable and uniformly accepted definitions of LVHT. Most probably, the echocardiographic definition of LVHT will be a synthesis of the currently used definitions, integrating short axis and four-chamber views. A refinement of cMRI definitions, considering pathoanatomic and echocardiographic investigations, seems necessary to avoid overdiagnosis.

Understanding left ventricular hypertrabeculation/noncompaction: pathomorphologic findings and prognostic impact of neuromuscular comorbidities

INTRODUCTION

When >3 trabeculations associated with interventricular recesses are found, this is termed 'left ventricular hypertrabeculation/noncompaction' (LVHT). Cardiac-imaging methods detect LVHT in all ages, isolated or associated with extracardiac, especially neuromuscular disorders (NMDs). Many issues about LVHT are unclear. The review gives an update about pathomorphologic findings in patients >14 years and the role of NMDs in LVHT. Areas covered: A PubMed-search for the terms "noncompaction" or "non-compaction" or "hypertrabeculation" AND "autopsy" or 'biopsy' or 'ultrastructure' or 'electron microscopy' AND 'neuromuscular' or 'myopathy' or 'neuropathy' was carried out from 1985 to July 2018. Expert commentary: Macroanatomic (n = 65), histopathologic (n = 59) and ultrastructural (n = 7) reports were found. A comparison with echocardiography was described in 45 cases. Measurements of non-compacted and compacted layer were only given from hearts investigated in short-axis cuts after formaldehyde-fixation. Endocardial, subendocardial and interstitial fibrosis were frequent findings. When LVHT-patients were systematically investigated, a NMD was found in 80%, most frequently mitochondrial disorders, Barth syndrome, zaspopathy, and myotonic dystrophy type 1. LVHT does not seem to be a special type of cardiac involvement of NMDs. NMDs affect prognosis in LVHT as well as LVHT affects prognosis in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Stroke and Stroke-like Episodes in Muscle Disease

Background:

Though not obvious at a first glance, myopathies may be associated with ischemic stroke. Stroke-like episodes resemble ischemic stroke only to some extent but are a unique feature of certain mitochondrial disorders with a pathogenesis at variance from that of ischemic stroke. Only limited data are available about ischemic stroke in pri-mary myopathies and the management of stroke-like episodes in mitochondrial disorders. This review aims to summarize and discuss current knowledge about stroke in myopathies and to delineate stroke-like episodes from ischemic stroke.

Methods:

Literature review via PubMED using the search terms “stroke”, “cerebrovascular”, “ischemic event”, “stroke-like episode”, “stroke-mimic”, “mitochondrial disorder”.

Results:

Stroke in myopathies is most frequently cardioembolic due to atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter, dilated cardio-myopathy, or left-ventricular hypertrabeculation (noncompaction). The second most frequent cause of stroke in myopathies is angiopathy from atherosclerosis or vasculitis, which may be a feature of inflammatory myopathies. Athero-sclerosis may either result from classical risk factors, such as diabetes, arterial hypertension, hyperlpidemia, or smoking, associated with muscle disease, or may be an inherent feature of a mitochondrial disorder. In case of severe heart failure from cardiomyopathy as a manifestation of muscle disease low flow infarcts may occur. Thrombophilic stroke has been described in polymyositis and dermatomyositis in association with anti-phospholipid syndrome. Stroke-like episodes occur particularly in mitochondrial encephalopathy, lactacidosis and stroke-likeepisode syndrome but rarely also in Leigh-syndrome and other mitochondrial disorders. Stroke-like episodes are at variance from ischemic stroke, pathogenically, clinically and on imaging. They may be the manifestation of a vascular, metabolic or epileptic process and present with predominantly vasogenic but also cytotoxic edema on MRI. Differentiation between ischemic stroke and stroke-like episodes is essential in terms of management and prognosis. Management of ischemic stroke in patients with myopathy is not at variance from the treatment of ischemic stroke in non-myopathic patients. There is no standardized treatment of stroke-like episodes but there is increasing evidence that these patients profit from the administration of L-arginine and conse-quent antiepileptic treatment if associated with seizure activity.

Conclusions:

Ischemic stroke may be a complication of myopathy and needs to be delineated from stroke-like episodes, which are unique to mitochondrial disorders, particularly mitochondrial encephalopathy, lactacidosis and stroke-likeepisode syndrome. Ischemic stroke in myopathies is most frequently cardioembolic and treatment is not at variance from non-myopathic ischemic stroke. Treatment of stroke-like episodes is not standardized but seems to respond to L-arginine and adequate antiepileptic treatment.