Key result
A 50-year-old male with progressive dyspnea initially misdiagnosed as asthma was found to have left ventricular non-compaction cardiomyopathy, highlighting the need to consider this etiology in patients with shortness of breath and low ejection fraction.
Case Report (n=1)
No
Left ventricular non-compaction should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients presenting with dyspnea and a family history of heart failure, even if initially suspected to be asthma.
Left ventricular non-compaction (LVNC) is a rare form of cardiomyopathy, which leads to progressive heart failure, arrhythmias, and thromboembolic events. Due to variable clinical presentations, it is often misdiagnosed as another cardiomyopathy or asthma. Here we report a case of 50 year-old-male who had multiple emergency room visits for shortness of breath (SOB) which were treated acutely with bronchodilators for presumptive asthma exacerbations. Subsequently, a 2D, color flow transthoracic echocardiogram was performed, which revealed the presence of dilated cardiomyopathy, and a low LV ejection fraction. In addition, left ventricular trabeculation was greater than that anticipated, with prominent inter trabecular recesses, supporting the diagnosis of LVNC. A family history of early onset heart failure was present. This case is presented to help physicians consider non-compaction cardiomyopathy as an etiology in patients who present with SOB and low ejection fraction (EF).
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VH et al. (2017) conducted a case report in Left ventricular non-compaction cardiomyopathy (n=1). Echocardiography and medical/device therapy was evaluated. A 50-year-old male with progressive dyspnea initially misdiagnosed as asthma was found to have left ventricular non-compaction cardiomyopathy, highlighting the need to consider this etiology in patients with shortness of breath and low ejection fraction.
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