Reduction ventriculoplasty for the cardiomyopathic heart: a case report.

A 44-year-old morbidly obese and hypertensive woman had been diagnosed with idiopathic cardiomyopathy seven years previously. She was referred for consideration for heart transplantation because of progression of symptoms to class IV. Massive obesity and pulmonary hypertension were strong relative contraindications to transplantation. During outpatient evaluation, the patient developed pulmonary edema, was hospitalized, and became intensive care unit-bound and immobile. Exercise radionuclide angiocardiography revealed left ventricular ejection fraction of 17%, and left ventricular end-diastolic volume of 408 mL. A reduction ventriculoplasty procedure was performed by resection of the lateral wall of the left ventricle. The patient did very well, and was discharged on postoperative day nine. Two weeks after the procedure, exercise radionuclide angiocardiography demonstrated left ventricular ejection fraction of 30% (76% increase) and left ventricular end-diastolic volume of 293 mL (28% decrease). The patient remains in stable New York Heart Association class II, now three months postprocedure. This initial positive experience in New England encourages-continued investigation of the reduction ventriculoplasty procedure, either as a bridge or as an alternative to heart transplantation in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy.