Utility of real-time 3-dimensional echocardiography and magnetic resonance imaging for evaluation of Danon disease.

A 21-year-old man was admitted to the hospital with exertional dyspnea. At the age of 14, he was diagnosed with Danon disease by genetic analysis (a 2–base-pair deletion at positions 288 and 289 in exon 3 was identified in the lysosome-associated membrane protein-2 [LAMP2] gene of the patient, which led to a frameshift and resulted in a premature stop codon). A chest radiograph demonstrated moderate cardiomegaly (cardiothoracic ratio of 58%). The ECG exhibited normal sinus rhythm, wide and bifid P waves with a duration of 170 ms, complete left bundle-branch block with a QRS duration of 200 ms, and a leftward axis ( 2°; Figure 1). Echocardiography revealed left ventricular (LV) dilatation with an end-diastolic internal dimension of 60 mm and diffusely hypokinetic LV wall motion with fractional shortening of 8% (Figure 2; Movie I of the online-only Data Supplement). LV concentric hypertrophy was also found, with a wall thickness of 13 mm, but the LV apical portion was thinner than the other portions (Figure 2). An LV noncompaction, characterized by prominent trabeculations and deep intertrabecular recesses, was observed at the apex and midventricular segment of the LV posterior and lateral walls (small arrows in Figure 2B and 2C). The affected segments had a 2-layer structure, which consisted of a compact epicardial layer and an endocardial layer that consisted of a prominent trabecular meshwork and deep intertrabecular spaces; the ratio of the noncompacted to compacted myocardial layers at the site of maximal wall thickness was 2.3 (Figure 2B and 2C; Movie II of the online-only Data Supplement). In addition, an LV apical mass suggestive of a thrombus was found (Figure 2B). Real-time 3-dimensional echocardiography revealed that the entire trabecular projections and intertrabecular recesses were visualized simultaneously, and the distinctions between the compacted and noncompacted LV myocardium and the thrombus present within the noncompacted LV myocardium were easily demarcated (Figure 3; Movie III of the online-only Data Supplement). Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging 3 weeks after initiation of anticoagulant therapy demonstrated a dilated hypocontractile LV with concentric hypertrophy. Furthermore, first-pass rest perfusion images disclosed a subendocardial perfusion deficit clearly visible within the anterior, lateral, and posterior walls and heavily spongious, “trabecularized” endocardial layers with deep intertrabecular recesses in those regions (Figure 4A; Movie IV of the online-only Data Supplement). Late gadolinium enhancement was found in the subendocardium, especially in the anterior, lateral, and