Left ventricular noncompaction as diagnosed by established cardiac magnetic resonance imaging criteria is not associated with increased adverse events compared to non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy

Background Left ventricular noncompaction (LVNC) is classified by the American Heart Association as a primary genetic cardiomyopathy and is attributed to defects in cardiac embryogenesis resulting in the intrauterine arrest of the compaction of the loose meshwork that makes up the fetal myocardium. From echocardiographic data, the prevalence of LVNC has been estimated at 0.05% of the general population. With the increasing use of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR), there has been a surge in the reports of patients with LVNC. Interestingly, many patients that have been diagnosed with non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (NIDCM) have also been noted to have prominent left ventricular trabeculations. We sought to evaluate the difference in clinical outcomes in patients with NIDCM compared to those with LVNC as diagnosed by established CMR criteria.