ARVD can present atypically with repeated ventricular fibrillation and histological signs of fresh myocardial damage.
A case of repeated attacks of ventricular fibrillation is described. The patient suffered from an arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia (ARVD) documented by right and left ventriculograms and myocardial biopsies obtained during surgical treatment of the arrhythmia. The histological changes were interpreted as being signs of fresh myocardial damage of unknown origin in addition to a replacement of the normal myocardium by adipose and fibrotic tissue. The repeated attacks of ventricular fibrillation in this patient contrast to the arrhythmia spectrum noted in the available literature on ARVD, mostly stable chronic ventricular tachycardias.
Olsson et al. (Mon,) studied this question.