Yamamoto K, Mori S, Fukuzawa K, Miyamoto K, Toba T, Izawa Y, Tanaka H, Kono AK, Hirata KI. Revisiting the prevalence and diversity of localized thinning of the left ventricular apex.
J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol 2020;
31:915-920. [PMID:
32090387 DOI:
10.1111/jce.14386]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2019] [Revised: 01/03/2020] [Accepted: 01/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND
The left ventricular apex commonly has a paper-thin structure. However, available data about its structure are limited to variable samples, methodologies, and results.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the structural anatomy of the left ventricular apex using living heart datasets with the latest computed tomography scanner.
METHODS
One hundred thirty-one consecutive patients (median age, 73 years; 58% men) who underwent cardiac computed tomography were retrospectively analyzed. Patients with severe aortic stenosis were analyzed separately. Thickness and diameters of the thinnest part of the left ventricular apex during mid-diastole were measured using orthogonal multiplanar reconstruction images. The area of thinning was estimated using the formula for the ellipse.
RESULTS
In 88 patients without severe aortic stenosis, the median thickness of the thinnest area of the left ventricular apex was only 0.9 mm. Among them, 74%, 99%, and 100% of cases displayed a left ventricular apex thinner than 1.0, 3.0, and 5.0 mm, respectively. The median area of the thinnest region was 5.6 mm2 . In 43 patients with severe aortic stenosis, the median thickness of the thinnest area of the left ventricular apex was 1.2 mm. Among them, 51%, 93%, and 100% of cases displayed a left ventricular apex thinner than 1.0, 3.0, and 5.0 mm, respectively. The median area of the thinnest region was 3.9 mm2 .
CONCLUSIONS
Localized thinning of the left ventricular apex is unexceptional, regardless of aortic stenosis with concentric left ventricular hypertrophy, thus highlighting the need for a reappreciation of this feature to avoid inadvertent catastrophic complications.
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