Key result
Routine echocardiography detects marked electromechanical window negativity of ~-98 ms in congenital long QT syndrome.
Why the study?
Risk stratification in congenital long QT syndrome relies heavily on genotype and QTc duration despite their limited ability to identify individuals at highest arrhythmic risk.
Case Report (n=1)
Profound electromechanical window negativity, a marker of malignant arrhythmia susceptibility, can be recovered retrospectively from routine echocardiographic imaging in patients with congenital long QT syndrome.
May aid arrhythmic risk stratification in congenital long QT syndrome; leaves open prospective validation from routine echocardiography.
Risk stratification in congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS) continues to rely heavily on genotype and QTc duration, despite their limited ability to identify individuals at highest arrhythmic risk. The electromechanical window (EMW) is a validated marker of malignant arrhythmia susceptibility, yet its presence within routine echocardiographic imaging has not been recognized. We report a 19‐year‐old woman with KCNH2 ‐related LQTS who experienced recurrent syncope triggered by abrupt auditory stimuli, with ambulatory monitoring revealing self‐terminating torsades de pointes up to 273 beats/min. Although cardiac magnetic resonance and standard echocardiography showed normal structure, retrospective analysis of archived routine cine loops revealed marked EMW negativity (mean −97.5 ms), measurable directly from standard imaging without specialized acquisition. Retrospective analysis demonstrated that marked EMW negativity was measurable from routine echocardiographic images acquired before the diagnosis was established. This case suggests that EMW negativity may be silently present in many previously imaged LQTS patients and recoverable retrospectively from existing echocardiographic datasets.
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Paterson et al. (2026) conducted a case report in Congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS) (n=1). Electromechanical window (EMW) measurement was evaluated on Electromechanical window (EMW) duration. Retrospective analysis of archived routine echocardiographic images revealed marked electromechanical window negativity (mean -97.5 ms) in a patient with congenital long QT syndrome.
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