Prevalence and characteristics of left ventricular noncompaction in a community hospital cohort of patients with systolic dysfunction.

Background: Left ventricular noncompaction (LVNC) is felt to be a rare form of cardiomyopathy, although its prevalence in a nonreferred population is unknown. We examined the prevalence and clinical characteristics of LVNC in a community hospital cohort of adult patients with echocardiographic evidence of left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction.

Methods: All adult echocardiograms with global LV dysfunction and an LVEF < or = 45% over a 1-year period were reviewed for signs of LV noncompaction.