Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in a young patient with left ventricular spongiform cardiomyopathy: A case report and review of literature

Left ventricular spongiform or non compaction cardiomyopathy is one of the rarer forms of cardiomyopathy with a reported prevalence of 0.014-0.05% in adults. It is characterized by severe left ventricular systolic dysfunction occurring secondary to the failure of the myocardium to fuse resulting in non-compacted myocardium with a trabeculated appearance of the myocardium. Initially described on the basis of 2-D echocardiography, the identification of left ventricular non compaction has now improved with the introduction of sophisticated imaging modalities such as cardiac magnetic resonance imaging that allows better visualization of the non-compacted myocardium assisting in accurate diagnosis. We report a case of isolated left ventricular spongiform or non-compaction cardiomyopathy that was diagnosed on cardiac magnetic resonance imaging with classical features. The patient was started on standard heart failure medications along with anticoagulation and continues to do well on follow up.