Myocardial edema in paroxysmal permeability disorders: The paradigm of Clarkson's disease

Abstract Purpose Paroxysmal Permeability Disorders (PPDs) comprise a variety of diseases characterized by recurrent and transitory increase of endothelial permeability. Idiopathic Systemic Capillary Leak Syndrome (ISCLS) is a rare PPD that leads to an abrupt massive shift of fluids and proteins from the intravascular to the interstitial compartment. In some cases, tissue edema may involve the myocardium, but its role in the development of shock has not been elucidated so far. Materials and methods Assessment of cardiac involvement during ten life-threatening ISCLS episodes admitted to ICU. Results Transthoracic echocardiographic examination was performed in eight episodes, whereas a poor acoustic window prevented cardiac ultrasound assessment in two episodes. Myocardial edema was detected by echocardiography in eight episodes and marked pericardial effusion in one-episode. Cardiac magnetic resonance showed diffuse myocardial edema in another episode. In one case, myocardial edema caused fulminant left ventricular dysfunction, which required extracorporeal life support. The mean septum thickness was higher during the shock phase compared to the recovery phase [15.5 mm (13.1–21 mm) vs. 9.9 mm (9–11.3 mm), p = .0003]. Myocardial edema resolved within 72 h. Conclusions During early phases of ISCLS, myocardial edema commonly occurs and can induce transient myocardial dysfunction, potentially contributing to the pathogenesis of shock.