Magnetic Resonance Imaging Presentation of Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia: A Case Report

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia (ARVD) is a nonischemic cardiomyopathy involving primarily the right ventricle. Its characteristics include hypokinetic areas involving the free wall of the right ventricle, fibrofatty replacement of the right ventricular myocardium, and associated arrhythmia originating in the right ventricle. Genetically, it is a cardiomyopathy with autosomal dominant inheritance, variable expressivity, and incomplete penetrance [1]. The location of the gene was mapped to 14q23-24 recently [1]. The incidence and frequency of this disease are still uncertain till now. Clinically, it is difficult to diagnose ARVD directly and accurately. Here, we report a case of 17 years old female with ARVD; the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed severe global dilatation of the right ventricle, and diffuse thinning of right ventricular myocardium with transmural replacement by fatty tissue and we conclude that MRI may play an important role in diagnosis of the disease.