[Circumscribed apical left ventricular hypertrophy as the cause of a pronounced T-wave negativity].

HISTORY AND CLINICAL FINDINGS: Two patients, one aged 57 the other 44 years, complained of nonspecific symptom-palpitation, left precordial pain and dyspnoea. There were no contributory findings on physical examination in both cases.

INVESTIGATIONS: Both patients had hyperlipoproteinaemia, the younger one hyperuricaemia as well. The electrocardiogram showed deeply negative symmetrical T waves in the precordial leads. Transthoracic and transoesophageal echocardiography demonstrated thickening of the apical left ventricular wall. Coronary heart disease was excluded in both patients by coronary angiography.

TREATMENT AND COURSE: The findings were fully explained to both patients. As they had only minor symptoms, no specific treatment was given.

CONCLUSION

Isolated apical left ventricular hypertrophy should be considered as a possible cause of marked T-wave inversion in the precordial leads; this special form of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is rarely seen in Europeans. As autosomal dominant inheritance of this condition has been described in two families, other family members should be studied by echocardiography whenever this abnormality is found.