Cardioverter Defibrillator Implantation in a Child with Isolated Noncompaction of the Ventricular Myocardium and Ventricular Fibrillation

Isolated noncompaction of the ventricular myocardium is a rare unclassified cardiomyopathy and is thought to be due to arrest of myocardial morphogenesis. In fetal life, it is characterized by an excessively prominent trabecular meshwork and deep intratrabecular recesses, and occurs in the left ventricle in the absence of structural heart disease. Echocardiography provides evidence for the diagnosis. The noncompacted ventricular myocardium may be accompanied by depressed ventricular function, systemic embolism, Wolff‐Parkinson‐White syndrome, left bundle branch block, and ventricular arrhythmia. Although onset of symptoms is frequently delayed until adulthood, symptomatic children have a poor prognosis. In this report, we describe a case of 6‐year‐old girl who had a history of recurrent syncope. Transthoracic echocardiographic examination showed a localized prominent trabeculation and deep intratrabecular recesses at the inferoapical region of the left ventricle. She had several episodes of ventricular fibrillation which was refractory to pharmacological treatment. An implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) was successfully operated three times during follow‐up. (PACE 2004; 27:104–108)