APICAL HYPERTROPHIC CARDIOMYOPATHY PRESENTING WITH SUSTAINED MONOMORPHIC VENTRICULAR-TACHYCARDIA AND ELECTROCARDIOGRAPHIC CHANGES SIMULATING CORONARY-ARTERY DISEASE AND LEFT-VENTRICULAR ANEURYSM

A 52‐year‐old male presented with sustained monomorphic ventricular tachycardia as the initial manifestation of apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The electrocardiogram during normal sinus rhythm showed a pattern of an old anterior wall myocardial infarction with aneurysm formation. Cardiac catheterization documented angiographically normal coronary arteries. Apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy was documented at cardiac catheterization and by echocardiogram and Doppler studies. Monomorphic ventricular tachycardia was reproducibly initiated and terminated during electrophysiological studies and antiarrhythmic drugs failed to control the tachycardia. At the time of implantation of a cardioverter defibrillator, left ventricular apical biopsy revealed pathologic findings characteristic of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Copyright © 1990 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.