Characteristics and long‐term survival of patients with left ventricular non‐compaction cardiomyopathy

Aims Left ventricular non‐compaction cardiomyopathy (LVNC) is a poorly understood entity resulting in heart failure. Whether it is a distinct form of cardiomyopathy or an anatomical phenotype is a subject of discussion. The current diagnosis is based on morphologic findings by comparing the compacted to non‐compacted myocardium. The study aimed to compare demographic and prognostic variables of patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and LVNC. Emphasis was given to cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging analysis. Data on survival were also assessed. Methods and results We retrospectively evaluated the characteristics and outcomes of 262 non‐ischaemic cardiomyopathy patients with LVNC and DCM phenotypes. Petersen's CMR criteria of non‐compacted to the compacted myocardial ratio 2.3 were used to diagnose LVNC. The primary endpoint was a composite endpoint of major adverse cardiovascular events comprising cardiovascular‐related death, left ventricular assisted device implantation, or heart transplantation. A total of 262 patients with CMR data were included in the study. One hundred fifty‐five patients who fulfilled CMR criteria were diagnosed as LVNC. CMR findings revealed that LVNC patients had higher left ventricular end‐diastolic (137.2 ± 51.6, 116.8 ± 44.6, P = 0.002) and systolic volume index (98.4 ± 49.5, 85.9 ± 42.7, P = 0.049). Cardiac haemodynamics, cardiac output (5.61 ± 2.03, 4.96 ± 1.83; P = 0.010), stroke volume (73.9 ± 28.8, 65.1 ± 25.1; P = 0.013), and cardiac index (2.85 ± 1.0, 2.37 ± 0.72; P