SUDDEN-DEATH IN A PATIENT WITH APPARENT IDIOPATHIC VENTRICULAR-TACHYCARDIA

Idiopathic ventricular tachycardia is widely believed to carry a favor able prognosis, although there have also been reports of sudden cardia c deaths. We present a case of sudden death in a patient with apparent idiopathic right ventricular tachycardia. This patient had long-stand ing and exercise-related symptoms, an essentially negative non-invasiv e cardiac evaluation, and spontaneous and inducible ventricular tachyc ardia of left bundle branch block and inferior axis morphology, that w as treated with propranolol. After an uneventful 5-year course, the pa tient died suddenly. Postmortem examination revealed a severely dilate d right ventricle and significant replacement of the right ventricular wall with adipose tissue. Interstitial fibrosis was also seen, but on ly to a very slight degree.