Isolated noncompaction of ventricular myocardium : Contrast echocardiographic findings and review the literature

Abstract

Noncompaction of the ventricular myocardium is a congenital anomaly characterized by an excessively prominent trabecular meshwork. It is usually associated with congenital left or right ventricular outflow tract obstruction.1–3 Noncompaction of the ventricular myocardium is rarely detected as an isolated anomaly. Transpulmonary contrast agents have been used to improve endocardial border resolution. We performed transpulmonary contrast echo-cardiography in a patient with isolated non-compaction of the ventricular myocardium(INVM) and obtained better images than with conventional transthoracic echocardiography. This is the first report on the use of a transpul-monary contrast agent in the diagnosis of INVM.