Cardiac sarcoidosis diagnosed by multimodality imaging

Echocardiography. 2017 Sep;34(9):1374-1375. doi: 10.1111/echo.13637. Epub 2017 Jul 28.

Abstract

A 66-year-old woman presented with frequent premature ventricular contractions (PVC) and akinesis of the basal septum on echocardiography. Coronary angiography was normal. Cardiac magnetic resonance showed mid-wall enhancement. Positron emission tomography showed a perfusion defect at the same location using 13N-ammonia, but increased 18-fluorodeoxyglucose uptake. These findings supported the diagnosis of cardiac sarcoidosis. High-dose steroids initially reduced frequency of PVCs but had to be withdrawn due to severe side effects. An ICD was implanted. Our case demonstrates the utility of multimodality imaging to diagnose and guide management of this entity.

Keywords: B-mode echocardiography; cardiac magnetic resonance imaging; positron emission tomography.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Cardiomyopathies / diagnosis*
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Echocardiography / methods*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Cine / methods*
  • Multimodal Imaging*
  • Positron-Emission Tomography / methods*
  • Sarcoidosis / diagnosis*