Dataset Information

From trivial to severe arrhythmias: the diagnostic role of multimodality imaging in inflammatory cardiomyopathy through a case series.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The diagnosis of inflammatory cardiomyopathy remains challenging in cases presenting with arrhythmia as sole manifestation. An early diagnosis is critical as it may prevent life-threatening complications such as sudden cardiac death and atrioventricular block (AVB). The diagnostic workup of suspected cases includes multimodality imaging that requires an adequate interpretation in order to limit the risk of overdiagnosis.

Case summary

Herein, we report three cases presenting with various new-onset arrhythmias. The first patient was admitted for a third-degree AVB. The second patient suffered from a supraventricular tachycardia which degenerated into ventricular fibrillation. The third case was investigated for symptomatic premature ventricular complexes. No apparent heart disease was observed on standard exams (clinical, biological examinations, and echocardiography). However, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and nuclear imaging (⁶⁸Ga-DOTATOC and/or ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT) suggested an inflammatory substrate that seemed to correlate with the arrhythmic phenotype. Cardiac inflammation disappeared on immunotherapy for the first case and spontaneously for the third case.

Discussion

These cases emphasize the incremental diagnostic yield of multimodality imaging to highlight myocardial inflammation. Nuclear imaging modalities may complement MRI by enabling the detection of active inflammation. The ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT is well established for the diagnosis of cardiac sarcoidosis but its role remains to be clarified for the diagnosis of myocarditis. An alternative radiotracer, ⁶⁸Ga-DOTATOC, appears promising by overcoming the main limitation of ¹⁸F-FDG but its specificity is not yet well established. The role of functional investigations is discussed as well as the benefit of immunosuppressive treatments.

SUBMITTER: Haddad C

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8598124 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

From trivial to severe arrhythmias: the diagnostic role of multimodality imaging in inflammatory cardiomyopathy through a case series.

Haddad Christelle C Herrera-Siklody Claudia C Porretta Alessandra Pia AP Carroz Patrice P Pascale Patrizio P Pruvot Etienne E

European heart journal. Case reports 20211020 11

<h4>Background</h4>The diagnosis of inflammatory cardiomyopathy remains challenging in cases presenting with arrhythmia as sole manifestation. An early diagnosis is critical as it may prevent life-threatening complications such as sudden cardiac death and atrioventricular block (AVB). The diagnostic workup of suspected cases includes multimodality imaging that requires an adequate interpretation in order to limit the risk of overdiagnosis.<h4>Case summary</h4>Herein, we report three cases presen ...[more]

PMID: 34805739

Similar Datasets

Project description:IntroductionCannabis use is known to be associated with significant cardiovascular morbidity. We describe three cases of cannabis-related malignant arrhythmias, who presented to the cardiac department at our institution within the last 2 years. All three patients were known to smoke cannabis on daily basis.Case summariesCase 1: A 30-year-old male, presented with recent onset of palpitations. A 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG), transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE), and blood tests were all normal. During an inpatient exercise treadmill test (ETT) he developed polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (VT), which converted spontaneously to supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) in the recovery phase of the test. Subsequent risk stratification with cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and coronary angiography showed no abnormalities and an electrophysiological study was negative for sustained VT, however, SVT was easily induced with rapid conversion to atrial fibrillation. The patient successfully stopped smoking all tobacco products including cannabis and was treated with beta-blockers, with no further episodes of arrhythmia. Case 2: A 30-year-old male presented to the Emergency Department with palpitations, chest pain, and dizziness that improved during exertion. His initial ECG demonstrated complete atrioventricular block (AVB). Subsequent traces showed Mobitz Type I and second-degree AVB, which converted to atrial flutter after exertion. Routine blood tests, TTE, and an ETT were all normal and he was discharged home with no conduction abnormalities. Case 3: A 24-year-old male presented with two episodes of syncope. Baseline examination was normal, with an ECG showing a low atrial rhythm. Interrogation of his implantable loop recorder showed episodes of early morning bradycardia episodes with no associated symptoms.DiscussionCannabis-related arrhythmia can be multiform regarding their presentation. Therefore, ambiguous combinations of arrhythmia should raise suspicion of underlying cannabis abuse, where clinically appropriate. Although causality with regards to cannabis use cannot be proven definitively in these cases, the temporal relationship between drug use and the onset of symptoms suggests a strong association.

Project description:The burden of pregnancy-related heart disease has dramatically increased over the last decades due to the increasing age at first pregnancy and higher prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors such as diabetes, hypertension, and obesity. Pregnancy is associated with physiological changes in the cardiovascular system, including hemodynamic, metabolic, and hormonal adaptations to meet the increased metabolic demands of the mother and fetus. It has been postulated that pregnancy may act as a cardiovascular stress test to identify women at high risk for heart disease, where the inability to adequately adapt to the physiologic stress of pregnancy may reveal the presence of genetic susceptibility to cardiovascular disease or accelerate the phenotypic expression of both inherited and acquired heart diseases, such as peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM). PPCM is a rare and incompletely understood clinical condition. Despite recent advances in the understanding of its pathogenesis, PPCM is not attributable to a well-defined pathological mechanism, and therefore, its diagnosis still relies on the exclusion of overlapping dilated phenotypes. Cardiac imaging plays a key role in any peripartum woman with signs and symptoms of heart failure in establishing the diagnosis, ruling out life-threatening complications, guiding therapy and conveying prognostic information. Echocardiography represents the first-line imaging technique, given its robust diagnostic yield and its favorable cost-effectiveness. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance is a biologically safe high-throughput modality that allows accurate morpho-functional assessment of the cardiovascular system in addition to the unique asset of myocardial tissue characterization as a pivotal piece of information in the pathophysiological puzzle of PPCM. In this review, we will highlight current evidence on the role of multimodality imaging in the differential diagnosis, prognostic assessment, and understanding of the pathophysiological basis of PPCM.

Dataset Information

From trivial to severe arrhythmias: the diagnostic role of multimodality imaging in inflammatory cardiomyopathy through a case series.

Background

Case summary

Discussion

Publications

From trivial to severe arrhythmias: the diagnostic role of multimodality imaging in inflammatory cardiomyopathy through a case series.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets