Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is an inherited heart muscle
disease characterized by progressive fibrofatty replacement of the right ventricular
(RV) myocardium which may act as a substrate for ventricular arrhythmias and sudden
cardiac death (SCD).
1
,
2
The classic form of ARVC is a genetically determined cardiomyopathy caused by heterozygous
or compound mutations in genes encoding proteins of desmosomes, which are specialized
intercellular structures providing mechanical attachment of myocytes.
3
However, there are other genetic (non-desmosomal) and non-genetic causes of the disease.
Biventricular and left-dominant disease variants have been identified and have led
some to use the term ‘arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy’ (ACM) to define the broader spectrum
of the disease phenotypic expressions.
2–8
However, to avoid confusion of readers, in the present International Expert Report,
the original designation of ARVC was maintained because the document is a critical
appraisal of the 2010 International Task Force (ITF) criteria that were specifically
designed to diagnose the ‘classic’ ARVC phenotype.
The current classification of ARVC includes the following clinical variants: (i) the
classic ARVC phenotype, i.e. the originally reported and most common disease variant,
characterized by isolated RV involvement (Figure 1
); (ii) the ‘biventricular disease variants’, i.e. ‘balanced’, ‘dominant-right’ or
‘dominant-left’, characterized by the parallel, predominant RV, and predominant left
ventricular (LV) involvement, respectively; and (iii) the LV phenotype characterized
by isolated LV involvement (i.e. without clinically demonstrable RV involvement) (Figure 2
).
1–8
Figure 1
Electrocardiographic and cardiac magnetic resonance features of a representative case
of right-dominant (classic) phenotypic variant of arrhythmogenic right ventricular
cardiomyopathy. (A) Basal electrocardiographic showing T-wave inversion in right precordial
leads (V1–V4). (B) End-diastolic frame of cine cardiac magnetic resonance sequence
in long-axis four-chamber view showing a dilated right ventricle (end-diastolic volume,
127 mL/m2) with a severely reduced ejection fraction (25%). The post-contrast orthogonal
images in long-axis (C) and short-axis (D) views show late gadolinium enhancement
as mid-wall stria in the mid-septum (white arrow). In C, late gadolinium enhancement
is also visible in the anterolateral, mid, and apical regions of the right ventricular
wall, with segmental transmural involvement (white arrowheads) associated with regional
dyskinesia (not shown). From De Lazzari et al.
54
Figure 2
Electrocardiographic and cardiac magnetic resonance findings of a representative case
of left-dominant phenotypic variant of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy
in a patient with a DSP-gene mutation and a history of sustained ventricular tachycardia.
(A) Basal electrocardiographic showing low QRS voltages (<0.5 mV) in limb leads. (B)
End-diastolic frame of cine cardiac magnetic resonance sequence in long-axis four-chamber
view showing normal cavity size and function of both ventricles. (C) Post-contrast
image showing myocardial fibrosis in the form of stria of late gadolinium enhancement
in the epicardium of the left ventricular lateral wall (arrowheads) and mid-mural
layer of the interventricular septum (arrows). From De Lazzari et al.
54
In 1994, an ITF proposed criteria for diagnosis of ARVC, in the form of a qualitative
scoring system which encompassed familial, electrocardiographic, arrhythmic, morpho-functional,
and disease features.
9
The ITF criteria were revised in 2010 by international consensus with the intention
to improve diagnostic accuracy, by providing quantitative criteria for diagnosing
structural and functional RV abnormalities, improvement of electrocardiographic criteria,
and adding molecular genetic criteria (Supplementary material online,
Table S1
).
10
Clinical experience with the 2010 ITF diagnostic score system has identified limitations
on the use of the criteria, potentially resulting in disease misdiagnosis.
11
,
12
The following problems in the use of current ITF criteria have been identified: (i)
overdiagnosis due to the inclusion of molecular genetic findings in the diagnostic
criteria, misinterpretation of electrocardiographic (ECG) and imaging findings, and
misdiagnosis with other diseases mimicking the ARVC phenotype; (ii) underdiagnosis
due to absence of cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) tissue characterization findings.
In recent years, there have been evolving indications for the clinical and imaging
tests for reaching definitive diagnosis of ARVC.
13–15
Due to technological advances and increased experience in the interpretation of structural,
functional and tissue characterization by contrast-enhanced CMR this has become an
important imaging technique for the diagnosis of ARVC.
14
In the era of CMR, some diagnostic tests have been abandoned because of the non-specific
and limited accuracy, while others have been reserved for selected cases because of
the invasive nature and the risk of serious complications. Since both the 1994 and
2010 guidelines were developed to diagnose the original right-dominant disease phenotype
they did not include specific criteria for diagnosing LV involvement and the more
recently recognized left-sided phenotypic variants.
7
,
8
Moreover, peculiarities of diagnosis in the paediatric population, which represents
approximately one-sixth of the overall ARVC-population, were not addressed.
16
The present international expert report is not intended to redesign the 2010 ITF diagnostic
criteria, which in the general view of the authors are still valid and do not need
substantial changes. However, the increasing risk of misdiagnosis resulting from the
inappropriate use of the criteria has prompted this international expert document
aimed to critically review the clinical performance and highlight the potential limitations
of current criteria, to propose some solutions for a better clinical use and to identify
potential areas of improvement, with particular reference to diagnosis of left-sided
phenotypes and identification of early disease in the paediatric population.
Overview of the 2010 diagnostic criteria
(See Supplementary material online, Text).
Current diagnostic criteria: a critical appraisal
The following sections of the document focus on the critical evaluation of each group
of current diagnostic criteria and provide key suggestions for improving their use
in the clinical practice.
Molecular genetics
Mutations in the genes encoding desmosomal proteins play a key role in the pathogenesis
of fibrofatty replacement of the myocardium and the development of the disease phenotype.
2
,
3
Pooled data from major studies on molecular genetic screening for desmosomal gene
mutations showed that the overall rate of successful genotyping in patients meeting
the ITF diagnostic criteria is approximately 50%.
17
,
18
The most common mutant gene is PKP2 (10–45%), followed by DSP (10–15%), DSG2 (7–10%),
and DSC2 (2%).
19–21
Screening for non-desmosomal genes marginally increases the rate of detection of gene
mutations, even though some mutations in specific genes such as TMEM43 p.P358L
22
and PLN p.R14del
23
can be highly prevalent in certain populations because of a founder effect (Supplementary
material online,
Table S2
). Compound/digenic heterozygosity has been identified in up to 25% of patients and
has been reported to account for both phenotypic variability and more malignant life-time
arrhythmic outcome (‘dose-effect’).
24–26
Different from all other forms of cardiomyopathy, the ARVC diagnostic criteria include
the presence of a pathogenic variant in ARVC related genes as a major criterion to
establish the diagnosis.
10
However, it has not been defined which mutations have sufficient evidence to be considered
as disease-causing and conferring pathogenicity to a variant can be challenging. Moreover,
a negative genetic test does not exclude the possibility that the phenotype is due
to a mutation in an unknown gene or that the molecular genetic screening technique
does not detect all disease-causing variants, including large deletions or duplications.
27
An increasingly emerging problem with the use of the current ITF criteria is that
the incorrect classification of a desmomosal-gene variant as ‘pathogenic’ (major criterion)
or the identification of a pathogenic variant in a gene with insufficient evidence
for disease causation may lead to a (mis)-diagnosis of ARVC in probands who otherwise
may not fulfil the ITF criteria for a (definite) phenotypic diagnosis (see Supplementary
material online, Text).
Key points
The limitations of current understanding of the genetic basis of ARVC and the high
genetic noise due to frequent disease-associated genetic variants both in the normal
population and other cardiomyopathies are associated with the risk of misdiagnosis
if molecular genetic results are integral part of the diagnostic scoring system.
According to the general recommendations for molecular genetic testing in inherited
cardiomyopathies,
28
genotyping is indicated to identify a pathogenic or likely pathogenic mutation in
a proband who already fulfils phenotypic diagnostic criteria for ARVC, and thus to
apply mutation-specific cascade genetic testing for detection of gene carriers among
family members.
Mutation-specific genetic testing is recommended for family members following the
identification of a pathogenic or likely pathogenic mutation in the proband with a
clinical diagnosis of definite ARVC, in order to identify genetically affected individuals
at a preclinical phase.
Genotyping to achieve a diagnosis in a patient with borderline phenotypic manifestations
may be considered in selected cases provided that the results are interpreted by experts
on the disease molecular genetics because the high prevalence of variants of uncertain
significance may make the genotyping results more confounding than confirming.
Genetic family screening can be also indicated for arrhythmic risk stratification
purposes. In fact, compound/digenic heterozygosity of ARVC-causing desmosomal-gene
variants predicts a more serious arrhythmic outcome because of a gene dose-effect.
It is important to screen the entire panel of disease-related genes including specific
non-desmosomal genes, if founder mutations in these genes are present in specific
geographical areas, such as TMEM43 in Newfoundland and PLN in the Netherlands, or
when ancestry suggests a relation with these specific geographical areas.
Myocardial tissue characterization
Invasive tissue characterization by transvenous endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) has been
part of the diagnostic evaluation of ARVC since 1994.
9
This technique offers the potential for an in vivo histologic tissue characterization
with demonstration of the hallmark disease lesion, i.e. the loss of myocardium with
fibrofatty replacement, that has been considered the gold standard for the clinical
diagnosis of ARVC (‘major’ diagnostic criterion).
29
Fatty infiltration of the RV myocardium is not specific for ARVC, being reported in
normal human hearts, in the elderly and obese people.
30
In this regard, the revised ITF criteria introduced the concept that the presence
of fibrosis is also essential and provided quantitative parameters for histopathologic
evaluation of EMB samples, focusing on the severity of myocyte loss and fibrosis rather
than on fatty infiltration of myocardium.
10
The diagnosis of ARVC that is achieved for the first time at surgery or autopsy also
identifies probands and should enable cascade family screening. The diagnostic tissue
characterization can be made by histopathology of either biopsy samples taken during
cardiac surgery performed for other reasons or in full hearts obtained at postmortem
or cardiac transplantation. The histologic evidence of fibrofatty replacement of the
ventricular myocardium with a subepicardial–mid-mural distribution, or with transmural
involvement in the absence of obstructive atherosclerotic plaques within the corresponding
coronary artery, is a diagnostic criterion for ARVC. An immunohistochemical analysis
of EMB samples for the diagnosis of ARVC has been developed with the aim of identifying
changes in the localization of desmosomal proteins
31
(see Supplementary material online, Text).
Right ventricular endocardial voltage mapping (EVM) is an imaging technique which
may be of added value for the diagnosis of ARVC since it has the potential to identify
and quantify RV regions of electroanatomic scar with low-amplitude electrical signals,
typically showing fractionation, double potentials, or conduction delay.
32–34
Right ventricular EVM is an invasive, expensive and highly operator-dependent technique
with a significant risk of inaccurate interpretation of low-voltage recordings in
areas of normal myocardium due to suboptimal catheter contact. Moreover, a complete
EVM should be also obtained from the epicardial side of RV, which implies a pericardial
puncture not justifiable solely for diagnostic purposes.
Key points
Endomyocardial biopsy is not indicated as a routine diagnostic test for ARVC. It should
be reserved for selected patients such as probands with a sporadic form of ARVC and
predominant LV involvement, in whom the final diagnosis depends on histologic exclusion
of phenocopies such as chronic myocarditis, sarcoidosis or other heart muscle disorders.
In addition to histopathologic examination of myocardial samples, immunohistochemical
analysis for evaluation of desmosomal protein localization within the intercalated
disk may provide added diagnostic value.
Right ventricular EVM is not recommended solely for diagnostic purposes. It should
be reserved for selected ARVC patients undergoing cardiac catheterization for arrhythmia
management and performed in electrophysiologic laboratories with a large experience
in electroanatomic mapping.
Endocardial voltage mapping-guided EMB of the RV free wall is not performed in the
majority of interventional labs and cannot be proposed for routine diagnosis.
Global or regional dysfunction and structural alterations
Relevant structural and functional abnormalities detectable by imaging techniques
include ventricular dilatation, reduced RV ejection fraction, regional wall motion
abnormalities, and fibrofatty myocardial replacement.
2
,
3
,
9
,
10
Contrast cine-ventriculography, echocardiography, and CMR are the standard imaging
techniques for the diagnosis of ARVC.
Cardiac magnetic resonance has become the gold standard method for assessing ventricular
volumes, systolic function, and regional wall motion, as well as to characterize myocardial
tissue composition. Due to the spatial resolution of CMR voxels and unlimited imaging
planes that can be reconstructed, CMR offers the potential to optimally evaluate dilatation/dysfunction,
regional wall motion abnormalities, and structural changes of the RV.
13–15
,
35
Cine CMR sequences provide an accurate assessment of RV volume and systolic function.
However, these parameters have low sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of
ARVC
35
,
36
and significant interobserver variability in the interpretation of segmental contraction
analysis of the RV free wall has been reported.
37–39
Tissue characterization findings by CMR (fibrosis, fatty infiltration, and fibrofatty
scar) were not included in the 2010 ITF criteria because of limited experience, difficulty
in the interpretation, and low specificity.
10
However, recent studies demonstrated the utility of combined regional wall motion
assessment and tissue characterization by CMR for the diagnosis of ARVC.
4
The best accuracy (98%) was present when wall motion alterations and pre-/post-contrast
signal abnormalities [including LV fat infiltration and late gadolinium enhancement
(LGE)] were considered together.
35
The original concept of ‘triangle of dysplasia’, which referred to the most commonly
affected regions of the RV, has evolved to the current perspective of a ‘quadrangle
of ARVC’ which also includes the LV infero-lateral wall, which is the most frequently
involved LV region. In the early stages of ARVC, the subtricuspid/peritricuspid area
and the LV infero-lateral wall may be the only affected regions.
4
,
5
,
40
,
41
Thus, LGE imaging technique may increase diagnostic sensitivity for ARVC, even in
its early stage, by identifying a myocardial scar in the LV infero-lateral wall, which
would otherwise remain undetectable by echocardiography/angiography because it is
confined to the subepicardial–mid-myocardial layers and may not be sufficiently large
to cause a systolic wall motion abnormality (Figure 2
).
Inclusion of criteria for characterization of myocardial fibrofatty replacement offers
the potential (i) to enhance the accuracy of the interpretation of RV wall motion
abnormalities (which has a high intra-interobserver variability and operator dependence)
by demonstrating the underlying myocardial lesion; (ii) to increase the sensitivity
for identifying forms of biventricular ARVC which are more easily diagnosed by CMR-imaging
with demonstration of the segmental subepicardial LGE in the LV wall which may be
the only imaging feature of left-dominant phenotypic variants of ARVC.
Because of its high negative predictive value, contrast-enhanced CMR study has the
potential to become the ‘rule-out’ imaging test for evaluation of structural and functional
ventricular abnormalities of ARVC (see Supplementary material online, Text).
Key points
Considering the technological advances and improvement of interpretation of CMR tissue
characterization images, acquisition and image evaluation of biventricular myocardial
fibrosis, and intramyocardial fatty tissue, contrast-enhanced CMR is recommended for
definitive diagnosis and better characterization of the disease phenotypic variant.
Transthoracic two-dimensional echocardiography is indicated as part of the initial
evaluation of a patient with suspected ARVC. The availability of echocardiographic
findings at initial evaluation is important in view of the subsequent serial imaging
follow-up. Echocardiographic evaluation should be repeated at 1–3 years intervals,
based on the age, genetic status, and clinical features.
To avoid misdiagnosis, demonstration of consistent structural and functional ventricular
abnormalities is needed to reach a definite diagnosis in a proband. Instead, overt
morpho-functional ventricular alterations may be not detectable in affected family
members, because clinical manifestations are more subtle and may occur later over
the disease course due to the incomplete and age-dependent penetrance and the variable
phenotypic expression.
Given the large variation of geometry and contraction of the normal RV, the presence
of both regional wall motion abnormalities and LGE should be confirmed in two orthogonal
planes (e.g. horizontal long-axis and short-axis views).
Cardiac magnetic resonance should ideally be performed in high volume centres with
particular experience and expertise in imaging acquisition and interpretation of ARVC
features.
Because CMR is expensive and time-consuming due to long duration of data acquisition
and analysis time, follow-up with systematic serial CMR studies is unpractical. A
repeat CMR study should be considered in patients with a diagnosis of definite ARVC
who develop over time significant worsening of clinical symptom, ECG abnormalities,
arrhythmic events, or echocardiographic findings.
Right ventricular angiography is not of additional diagnostic value and should be
reserved to patients in whom EMB is planned. Cardiac catheterization is indicated
when oxygen saturation measurement is required for differential diagnosis between
ARVC and congenital heart diseases with a left to right shunt.
Arrhythmias
The spectrum of ventricular arrhythmias in ARVC ranges from isolated premature ventricular
complexes (PVCs) to sustained ventricular tachycardia (VT) or ventricular fibrillation
leading to cardiac arrest.
1
,
4
,
5
,
18
,
42–44
The severity of the arrhythmia is variable between individual patients and during
the course of the disease.
45
,
46
The assessment of the morphology of the arrhythmic QRS complexes on 12-lead ECG may
allow identification of the ventricular site of origin and the mechanism of the arrhythmia.
According to the 2010 ITF diagnostic criteria, the morphology of VT has an impact
on diagnosis.
10
Ventricular tachycardia with a left bundle branch block (LBBB)/inferior axis suggesting
right (or left) ventricular outflow tract origin is considered a ‘minor’ diagnostic
criterion because of its low specificity which may lead to misdiagnosis of ARVC in
patients with idiopathic right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT)-VT. However, VT with
an LBBB pattern and superior or indeterminate axis suggesting RV free wall origin
is more specific for ARVC and this is classified as a ‘major’ diagnostic criterion.
VT with a right bundle branch block (RBBB) morphology may occur as a manifestation
of additional or predominant LV involvement.
10
Studies with 24-h Holter monitoring have shown that most ARVC patients have frequent
PVCs, either isolated or coupled, with a mean burden >500 PVC/24 h.
47
Current ITF criteria consider the number of PVCs per 24 h without addressing the morphology
of the ectopic QRS. This represents a limitation because premature ventricular beats
originating from the inferior RV wall have greater specificity for ARVC than the number
of premature ventricular beats exceeding 500/24 h or premature ventricular beats from
the RVOT. It is diagnostically relevant to record PVCs on 12 ECG leads by exercise
testing or 12-lead 24-h Holter monitoring.
The electrophysiologic study has a limited role in the diagnosis of ARVC. The test
can provide information regarding the inducibility by programmed ventricular stimulation
of one or more VTs with different rates and/or morphologies. This may be useful in
differentiating ARVC from idiopathic RVOT-VT which is a benign and non-familial arrhythmic
condition characterized by a single morphology (LBBB/inferior axis) and non-inducibility
by programmed ventricular stimulation.
48
,
49
Addition of RV EVM may be of incremental diagnostic value for differential diagnosis
with idiopathic RVOT-VT, provided that care is taken to obtain adequate sampling and
ensure optimal catheter contact using pacing threshold assessment or direct contact
force measurements to avoid inappropriate misdiagnosis from low-amplitude recordings.
Endocardial unipolar recordings with a large field of view may also indentify the
presence of epicardial scar, thus preventing the use of a direct pericardial approach
to obtain bipolar epicardial voltage measurements.
50
Key points
Twelve-lead 24-h Holter monitoring is indicated to assess the morphology of ventricular
arrhythmia, which may suggest the ventricular site of origin.
Electrophysiologic study with programmed ventricular stimulation and RV EVM are not
recommended as integral part of the routine diagnostic evaluation of patients with
ARVC. Both studies should be limited to selected patients requiring an invasive electrophysiologic
evaluation to distinguish ARVC-related VT from idiopathic RVOT tachycardia.
Repolarization and depolarization electrocardiographic abnormalities
Twelve-lead ECG is a valuable diagnostic test in ARVC and records repolarization and/or
depolarization abnormalities in up to 90% of patients with ARVC.
51–53
Negative T waves in the right precordial leads are the most common finding (Figure 1
).
10
Low QRS voltages (<0.5 mV) in the limb leads are frequently observed in ARVC patients
with fibrosis/LGE of the LV as evidenced by CMR (Figure 2
). Rather than an ECG marker of advanced RV disease, low QRS voltages indicate LV
involvement (regardless of the RV disease severity) and reflect loss of myocardium/electrical
voltages of the LV wall and replacement by electrically inert fibrofatty scar tissue.
54–58
The ECG abnormalities resulting from delayed RV activation/conduction include RBBB
(usually incomplete and rarely complete), QRS fragmentation, prolongation of right
precordial QRS duration with a delayed S-wave upstroke, terminal activation duration
(TAD) ≥55 ms, and epsilon waves. The accuracy of the presence of epsilon waves as
a diagnostic tool has been questioned since these discrete signals are related to
ECG filtering and sampling rate, giving rise to large interobserver variability.
59
Activation delay can also be detected in the form of late potentials in the terminal
portion of the QRS complex by signal-averaged ECG (SAECG). The use of SAECG technique
for diagnosis of ARVC in probands and family members has been abandoned by most centres
because of its non-specific findings and limited diagnostic accuracy (see Supplementary
material online, Text).
Key points
The presence of epsilon waves should be evaluated with caution, especially in patients
without other diagnostic criteria.
A QRS delayed S-wave upstroke with TAD ≥55 ms in right precordial leads is a specific
diagnostic ECG pattern, particularly if followed by negative T waves.
Low QRS voltages (<0.5 mV) in the limb leads can be an ECG marker predictive of LV
involvement.
Negative T waves confined to V1 and V2 should be considered as a normal ECG variant
in individuals who do not meet other diagnostic criteria.
Left-dominant variants of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy
Distinctive ECG features of LV involvement in ARVC include T-wave inversion in the
infero-lateral leads and low QRS voltages (<0.5 mV) in limb leads, which reflect the
loss of myocardium and electrical voltages of the LV wall.
55
,
56
Ventricular tachycardia is characteristically monomorphic, with a RBBB morphology
which denotes its origin form the LV.
8
,
60
The typical LV imaging phenotype is characterized by a ventricular remodelling pattern
consisting of mild LV dysfunction and no or mild LV dilatation, in association with
a significant amount of subepicardial/mid-myocardial (non-ischaemic) LGE affecting
multiple LV segments (mostly the inferolateral wall regions) (Figure 2
).
61
The degree of systolic LV dysfunction appears related to the global extent of LGE
which in advanced disease affects multiple septal and LV free wall segments.
In biventricular variants of ARVC, clinically demonstrable RV involvement is an important
additional criterion for differential diagnosis with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).
In the absence of clinically detectable RV involvement, demonstration of a pathogenic
mutation of ARVC-related genes, such as DSP, FLNC, and PLN genes, may support the
diagnosis of ARVC (see Supplementary material online, Text).
Key points
Criteria for diagnosis of left-sided ARVC phenotypes should include: (i) ECG changes
such as low QRS voltages in limb leads and inverted T waves in the inferolateral leads;
(ii) ventricular arrhythmias with a right bundle-branch block pattern; and (iii) structural
and functional imaging features consistent with a ‘hypokinetic, non-dilated, and fibrotic
LV’.
Clinical demonstration of some degree of electrical or structural RV involvement should
be considered as an important additional criterion for diagnosis of biventricular
or left-dominant phenotypes.
In patients with clinical findings suggestive of left-sided ARVC and no clinically
detectable RV involvement, genetic testing for the presence of pathogenic mutations
in ARVC-related genes, such as the DSP gene, can confirm the diagnosis (Supplementary
material online,
Table S2
).
Diagnosis of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy in the paediatric population
Arrhythmogenic RV cardiomyopathy is a genetically determined heart muscle disease
characterized by a ‘late-onset phenotype’, which most often becomes clinically overt
between the second and fourth decades of life. Clinical manifestations of the disease
are very uncommon before pubertal development, whereas up to 15% of affected patients
are teenagers.
62
,
63
Arrhythmogenic RV cardiomyopathy is a progressive heart muscle disease with electrical
and structural phenotypic manifestations occurring at different times during its natural
history. It is noteworthy that progression of structural ventricular alterations can
be preceded and predicted by ECG depolarization abnormalities.
64
Whereas adult patients more often present with sustained VT, paediatric patients are
more likely to experience SCD or resuscitated sudden cardiac arrest.
45
,
63
,
65
Sudden cardiac death may be the first clinical manifestation of the disease, as it
was reported by a study in the Veneto region of Italy, where 20% of SCD in young people
and athletes were caused by previously undiagnosed ARVC.
66
The diagnosis of ARVC is particularly challenging in children <14 years of age.
62
Peculiarities in physiological development as well as differences in disease presentation
and progression limit the use of the current criteria for diagnosis of ARVC in this
age group.
67
Diagnostic clinical work-up should be adapted to this patient population due to the
difficulty of some testing modalities in paediatric patients and the low prevalence
of manifest disease in very young children. In particular, basal ECG and ambulatory
ECG monitoring can be performed at any age, while echocardiography is more easily
performed after age 3 years and cardiac CMR after age 8 years (or in younger children
but under anaesthesia) (see Supplementary material online, Text).
Key points
An adapted diagnostic clinical work-up using normal ECG and imaging reference values
for children should be used in the paediatric population, due to the low prevalence
of manifest disease, difficulty of some testing modalities and peculiarity of clinical
findings in this age-group.
Invasive studies such as RV angiography and EMB should be reserved to very selected
cases until all non-invasive studies have been assessed.
Molecular genetic testing for children of families affected by ARVC is recommended
for early, pre-clinical identification of genetically affected individuals as well
as for detection of non-genetically affected siblings who can be reassured and not
further investigated.
Early detection of genetically affected children allows to establish a focused prevention
strategy mostly based on life style changes, including restriction of competitive
sports activity which is the most important environmental factor promoting the disease
phenotypic expression.
A follow-up by non-invasive clinical evaluation of healthy gene carriers or children
with unknown genotype who have a positive family history of ARVC should be performed
on a regular basis after puberty (every 1–2 years) to monitor for disease onset and
progression.
Phenocopies and differential diagnosis
Conditions that can mimic the ARVC phenotype (phenocopies) and enter into differential
diagnosis of ARVC include primary arrhythmia conditions and structural heart muscle
diseases affecting the RV, the LV, or both (Table 1
).
Table 1
Differential diagnosis of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy
Mimics of right-dominant ARVC
Primary arrhythmia conditions
Right ventricular outflow tract tachycardia
Brugada syndrome
Structural diseases
Congenital heart diseases (left to right shunt, Ebstein’s anomaly, Uhl’s anomaly)
Pulmonary artery hypertension
Athlete’s heart
Chest deformity and pericardial absence
Mimics of left-dominant ARVC
Structural diseases
Dilated cardiomyopathy
Neuromuscular cardiomyopathies (muscular dystrophies and myofibrillar myopathies)
Myocarditis
Cardiac sarcoidosis
Congenital ventricular aneurysms
Chagas’ heart disease
Primary arrhythmia conditions
Primary arrhythmia conditions which may resemble ARVC include idiopathic RVOT-VT and
Brugada syndrome (see Supplementary material online, Text).
Key points
Patients with idiopathic RVOT-VT have a normal 12-lead ECG, normal imaging tests,
VT induction by isoproterenol test, and VT non-inducible by programmed ventricular
stimulation (Table 2
).
A septal origin of VT is significantly more often observed in idiopathic RVOT-VT than
in ARVC which usually affects the RV free wall and spares the septum.
A single LBBB/inferior axis VT morphology favours the diagnosis of idiopathic RVOT-VT,
while multiple VT morphologies, either spontaneous or induced, strongly suggest ARVC.
68
Brugada syndrome demonstrates substantial differences from ARVC with respect to involved
genes, absence of overt cardiomyopathic changes, autonomic and antiarrhythmic drug
modulation of ECG abnormalities, circumstances and mechanisms of arrhythmias and outcome
(Table 3
).
Table 2
Idiopathic right ventricular outflow tract tachycardia vs arrhythmogenic right ventricular
cardiomyopathy-related ventricular tachycardia
RVOT-VT
ARVC
Disease inheritance
No
Yes (AD)
Genetic defect
No
Desmosomal genes-mutations
Symptoms
Palpitations, pre-syncope
Palpitations, syncope, cardiac arrest
ECG abnormalities
Normal
Right precordial T-wave inversion, ε waves, right precordial QRS prolongation with
delayed S-wave upstroke, and terminal activation delay (>55 ms), low QRS voltages
Imaging
Normal
Structural and functional RV abnormalities
Biopsy
Normal
Fibrofatty myocardial replacement
Morphology of VT
NSVT repetitive monomorphic; LBBB usually with inferior QRS axis
LBBB Usually with left deviation
Multiple VT morphologies
No
Yes
VT mechanism
Enhanced automaticity and triggered activity
Scar-related re-entry
Typical site of VT origin
Anteroseptal RVOT
Non-septal RVOT
RV EVM
Normal
Low-voltage areas
Programmed ventricular stimulation
Non-inducible VT
Inducible VT
AD, autosomal dominant; EVM, endocardial voltage mapping; LBBB, left bundle branch
block; NSVT, non-sustained ventricular tachycardia; RV, right ventricle; RVOT, right
ventricular outflow tract; TWI, T-wave inversion; VF, ventricular fibrillation; VT,
ventricular tachycardia.
Table 3
Brugada syndrome vs arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy
Brugada syndrome
ARVC
Age of presentation (years)
30–40
15–30
Gender
M > F (8:1)
M > F (3:1)
Distribution
World-wide (predominantly Southeast Asia)
World-wide
Inheritance
AD
AD (AR)
Predominant pathogenetic genes
SCN5A gene
Desmosomal genes
Typical symptoms
Syncope, cardiac arrest Especially nocturnal
Palpitations, syncope, cardiac arrest
ECG repolarization
Right precordial ST elevation and TWI
Right precordial TWI
ECG depolarization
RBBB/LAD
Right precordial QRS prolongation, ε waves
AV conduction times
Prolonged PR/HV interval
Normal
Variability of ECG changes
Dynamic
Fixed
Imaging
Normal (or mild RVOT dilatation)
Structural RV (and LV) abnormalities with global and regional dilation and dysfunction
Biopsy
Normal
Fibrofatty replacement
Ventricular arrhythmias
Polymorphic VT, VF
Monomorphic VT, VF
Mechanism of VT
Phase 2 re-entry or local micro-reentry
Scar-related macro-reentry
Programmed ventricular stimulation
Inducibility of VF
Inducibility of monomorphic VT or VF
Natural history
Sudden death
Sudden death, heart failure
AD, autosomal dominant; AR, autosomal recessive; AV, atrioventricular; LAD, left axis
deviation; LV, left ventricle; RBBB, right bundle branch block; RV, right ventricle;
RVOT, right ventricular outflow tract; TWI, T-wave inversion; VF, ventricular fibrillation;
VT, ventricular tachycardia.
Structural heart muscle diseases mimicking right-dominant arrhythmogenic right ventricular
cardiomyopathy
A number of structural conditions may mimic clinical features of right-dominant ARVC
including congenital heart diseases, pulmonary artery hypertension, and athlete’s
heart (Figure 3
and Table 4
) (see Supplementary material online, Text).
Figure 3
Cardiac magnetic resonance features of heart diseases mimicking right-dominant (classic)
phenotypic variant of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy. Partial anomalous
pulmonary vein drainage (A and B): end-diastolic frame of cine cardiac magnetic resonance
sequence in long-axis four-chamber view showing moderate right ventricular dilatation
(A); cine sagittal view showing the anomalous drainage of the right pulmonary vein
in the azygos vein (white arrow) (B). Ebstein anomaly (C and D): end-diastolic frame
of cine cardiac magnetic resonance sequence in short-axis view showing a severe right
ventricular enlargement due to a large ventricular ‘atrialization’ (C); end-diastolic
frame of cine cardiac magnetic resonance sequence in four-chamber view showing a significant
apical displacement of the septal leaflet of the tricuspid valve (white arrows) (D).
Arterial pulmonary hypertension (E and F): end-diastolic frames of cine cardiac magnetic
resonance sequence in short-axis view showing increase of the right ventricular wall
thickness (white asterisk) (E), flattening of the interventricular septum (white arrows)
(E), and massive pulmonary artery dilatation (white asterisk) (F). Athlete’s heart
(G and H): end-diastolic (G) and systolic (H) frames of cine cardiac magnetic resonance
sequence in four-chamber view evidencing biventricular dilatation (end-diastolic volume
122 mL/m2) and normal systolic function (ejection fraction 64%), in the absence of
wall motion abnormalities (not shown).
Table 4
Causes of right heart dilatation in adult congenital heart disease
Left-to-right shunt
Atrial septal defects
Partial anomalous pulmonary return
Extracardial shunts (pulmonary/systemic arteriovenous connections)
Coronary artery fistula (to the coronary sinus/right atrium/right ventricle)
Valvular dysfunction
Tricuspid valve regurgitation
Ebstein’s anomaly
Pulmonary valve regurgitation
Post-operative valvular insufficiency after tetralogy of Fallot repair
Myocardial malformation
Uhl’s anomaly
Ventricular aneurysm/diverticulum
Chest deformity such as pectus excavatum or carinatum and pericardial absence may
cause ECG changes and echocardiographic RV abnormalities mimicking ARVC.
69
Key points
Cardiac remodelling due to volume overload secondary to a congenital heart disease
consists of global RV dilatation and dysfunction without regional wall motion abnormalities
that allow the differential diagnosis with the imaging findings of ARVC characterized
by both global and regional RV dilatation and dysfunction with prominent regional
akinesia and/or dyskinesia.
RV abnormalities of pulmonary artery hypertension are the result of the elevation
of the pulmonary artery pressure that is usually normal or reduced in ARVC.
The clinical phenotype of athlete’s heart differs from that of ARVC with regard to
the absence of fibrofatty myocardial replacement which is clinically demonstrable
as (i) regional-dyskinesia or bulging on echo and CMR; (ii) RV LGE on CMR; (iii) ECG
depolarization abnormalities; and (iv) replacement type-fibrosis (and adiposis) at
EMB
70
(Table 5
).
Table 5
Athlete’s heart vs. arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy
Athlete’s heart
ARVC
Family history
No
ARVC or SCD
ECG abnormalities
Training-related ECG changes such as incomplete right bundle branch block increased
in QRS voltages and early repolarization. Right precordial early repolarization variant
with negative T-wave preceded by J-point/ST-segment elevation.
Right precordial T-wave inversion, ε waves, right precordial QRS prolongation with
delayed S-wave upstroke and terminal activation delay (>55 ms), low QRS voltages
Symptoms
No
Palpitations, syncope, cardiac arrest
RV dilation
Yes (mainly main RV body)
yes (mainly RVOT)
RV/LV dilation ratio
RV/LV <1
RV/LV >1
Global RV dysfunction
No (or mild)
Yes
Regional RV wall motion abnormalities
No
A-dyskinesia; bulging
LGE at cardiac magnetic resonance
No (or only junctional)
RV and/or LV (non-ischaemic pattern)
Ventricular arrhythmias
No
Yes
LGE, late gadolinium enhancement; LV, left ventricle; RV, right ventricle; RVOT, right
ventricular outflow tract; SCD, sudden cardiac death.
Structural heart muscle diseases mimicking left-dominant arrhythmogenic right ventricular
cardiomyopathy
Structural conditions mimicking clinical features of left-dominant ARVC include DCM,
cardiac involvement in genetic neuromuscular disorders, myocarditis, sarcoidosis,
congenital ventricular diverticulum/aneurysm, and Chagas’ disease (see Supplementary
material online, Text).
Key points
At variance with left-sided ARVC, DCM shows more severe LV dilation and dysfunction
which are unrelated to the global extent of ventricular scar tissue as evidenced by
LGE on CMR (Figure 4
).
At variance with left-sided ARVC, DCM shows scarce propensity to life-threatening
ventricular arrhythmias that occur late during the disease course and are related
to the severity of LV systolic dysfunction (Table 6
).
Cardiomyopathy may develop in patients with various genetic neuromuscular disorders
and may occur before, during, or after clinical evidence of skeletal muscle dysfunction.
While the myocardial involvement is most often part of the spectrum of pathologic
features of the disease, ventricular systolic dysfunction and/or rhythm and conduction
abnormalities may dominate the clinical presentation or may represent the only phenotypic
manifestation of the neuromuscular gene defect (Figure 5
).
72
Differential diagnosis between the cardiomyopathy occurring in the context of a neuromuscular
disease and ARVC relies on recognition of specific phenotypic features of the associated
musculo–skeletal involvement.
Identification of isolated neuromuscular cardiomyopathy (without skeletal muscle involvement)
requires demonstration of the specific genetic defect by molecular testing.
Differential diagnosis between acute myocarditis or post-myocarditis scar and ARVC
requires accurate medical history, clinical family screening, demonstration of ECG
and imaging RV involvement, and molecular genetic testing.
Imaging criteria to differentiate post-myocarditis scar from inherited cardiomyopathy
have not been defined. Subepicardial/mid-myocardial LV LGE at CMR may suggest priori
myocarditis but is not diagnostic and careful family history and screening are needed
to exclude left-sided ARVC.
The diagnosis of cardiac sarcoidosis in patients with multisystem involvement relies
on consistent clinical and imaging features of the disease (Figure 6
) in the presence of histologic evidence of non-caseating epithelial cell granulomas
in one or more organs.
Isolated cardiac sarcoidosis is conclusively diagnosed on the basis of EMB, possibly
imaging-guided by positron emission tomography or CMR.
73
,
74
The segmental nature of congenital aneurysms with associated normal ventricular myocardium
and the predominantly endocardial pattern of myocardial fibrosis are not consistent
with the diagnosis of ARVC.
A typical history and a positive Chagas serology allow to differentiate cardiac Chagas
disease from ARVC.
Figure 4
Cardiac magnetic resonance features of dilated cardiomyopathy vs. left-dominant phenotypic
variant of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy. Dilated cardiomyopathy
(A and B): end-diastolic frame of cine cardiac magnetic resonance sequence in four-chamber
view showing severe left ventricular dilatation (A) with severe systolic dysfunction
(not shown); post-contrast T1 inversion recovery sequence in short-axis view showing
limited mid-wall late gadolinium enhancement in the anterior interventricular septum
and infero-septal junction involving the adjacent infero-basal wall (white arrow)
(B). Left-dominant arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (C and D): post-contrast
T1 inversion recovery sequence in four-chamber view showing a non-dilated (C) and
hypokinetic (not shown) left ventricle; post-contrast T1 inversion recovery sequence
in short-axis view showing a large amount of late gadolinium enhancement involving
the interventricular septum and both anterior and inferolateral left ventricular walls
(C and D).
Figure 5
Cardiac magnetic resonance features and histopathologic findings of non-ischaemic
left ventricular scar of different aetiologies. Muscular dystrophy (A and B): post-contrast
T1 inversion recovery sequence in short-axis view showing a subepicardial stria of
late gadolinium enhancement in the left ventricular wall (white arrows) (A); corresponding
panoramic histopathologic view of the inferolateral left ventricular wall showing
replacement-type fibrosis confined to the outer-mid layer of the musculature (B).
Modified from Yilmaz et al.
71
Chronic myocarditis (C and D): post-contrast T1 inversion recovery sequence in short-axis
view showing subepicardial late gadolinium enhancement of the inferolateral left ventricular
wall (C); corresponding panoramic histopathologic view of the inferolateral left ventricular
wall showing extensive fibrous tissue replacement in the subepicardial layer of the
musculature (D). From Yilmaz et al.
71
Desmosomal gene-related, left-sided arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy
(E and F): post-contrast T1 inversion recovery sequence in short-axis view showing
subepicardial late gadolinium enhancement of the infero-lateral left ventricular wall
in a DSP-gene mutation carrier (E). Panoramic histopathologic view showing myocardial
replacement of the outer layer of the infero-lateral left ventricular wall in a sudden
cardiac death victim carrying a DSP-gene mutation (F). From Zorzi et al.
44
Figure 6
Magnetic resonance and cardiac positron emission tomography features of cardiac sarcoidosis.
Post-contrast T1 inversion recovery sequence in four-chamber view showing right ventricular
dilatation and late gadolinium enhancement of the interventricular septum (black arrows)
and subepicardial lateral left ventricular wall (white arrows) (A). Topographic concordance
between the epicardial spot of late gadolinium enhancement involving the anterior
(B, single white arrow) and inferior (B, white arrows) left ventricular regions and
the areas of fludeoxyglucose uptake on positron emission tomography (C, white arrows
pointing to yellow–red areas).
Table 6
Dilated cardiomyopathy vs. left-dominant arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy
Dilated cardiomyopathy
Left-dominant ARVC
Inheritance
≤35% (AD)
>50% (AD, AR)
Predominant genetic background
Mutations of genes encoding for cytoskeleton, muscular sarcomere, and nuclear envelope
proteins
Mutations of genes encoding for desmosomal proteins, PLN, or FLN-C
Main clinical manifestations
Heart failure, cardiac arrest, palpitations
Palpitations, syncope, cardiac arrest
ECG abnormalities
Left ventricular hypertrophy with a strain pattern of ST-segment; left bundle branch
block
Low QRS voltages in limb leads; negative T waves in lateral leads; negative T waves
in right precordial leads (biventricular form)
Echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging findings
Dilated and hypokinetic LV with no or patchy non-ischaemic (mid-myocardial) LGE (septum)
Non-dilated and hypokinetic LV with large amount of non-ischemic (subepicardial) LGE
(inferolateral LV wall)
Regional wall motion abnormalities (uncommon).
Regional wall motion abnormalities (common).
Systolic LV dysfunction unrelated to the global extent of LGE
Systolic LV dysfunction related to the global extent of LGE
EMB features
Non-specific myocardial abnormalities
Fibrofatty myocardial replacement
Types of ventricular arrhythmias
PVBs and NSVT (RBBB pattern); sustained VT(uncommon); VF
PVBs, NSVT, and monomorphic sustained VT (RBBB pattern; both LBBB and RBBB patterns
in biventricular form); VF
Mechanism of VT
Scar-related or functional re-entry (branch to branch re-entry)
Scar-related re-entry
Most common site of VT origin
Intramural septum
Subepicardial infero-lateral LV free wall
AD, autosomal dominant; AR, autosomal recessive; EMB, endomyocardial biopsy; LBBB,
left bundle branch block; LV, left ventricle; NSVT, non-sustained ventricular tachycardia;
PVBs, premature ventricular beats; RBBB, right bundle branch block; RV, right ventricle;
RVOT, right ventricular outflow tract; TWI, T-wave inversion; VF, ventricular fibrillation;
VT, ventricular tachycardia.
Proposal of an aetiologic classification of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathies
In about 50% of patients, ARVC is a genetic disease caused by a mutation of desmosomal
gene. A minority of affected patients may have defective non-desmosomal genes. A phenotype
similar to ARVC may also occur in other genetic cardiomyopathies, cardiocutaneous
syndromes, or neuromuscular disorders.
2
,
3
Furthermore, a sizeable proportion of patients have non-genetic diseases with a phenotype
resembling ARVC and characterized by the distinctive propensity to ventricular arrhythmias
which extends beyond the severity of systolic ventricular dysfunction being strongly
related to the large amount of myocardial fibrosis which is an independent arrhythmogenic
risk factor.
By analogy with current classifications of other cardiomyopathies such as hypertrophic
and dilated cardiomyopathy and in keeping with the 2019 HRS Expert Consensus Statement
on arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy,
75
it is appropriate to propose a disease classification which under the large umbrella
of ‘arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy’, comprises a spectrum of conditions of different
aetiologies involving the RV, the LV or both, either genetic or non-genetic, whose
common denominator is the prominent non-ischaemic ventricular myocardial scarring
and the scar-related ventricular arrhythmias (Figure 7
). All conditions manifesting with the ACM phenotype are associated with a distinctively
higher risk of SCD because myocardial fibrosis acts as a substrate of malignant ventricular
arrhythmias. Accordingly, in patients affected by ACM, either genetic or non-genetic,
the implantation of an ICD for primary prevention should be considered in the presence
of large arrhythmogenic ventricular scarring, even if the systolic ventricular function
is not severely depressed.
76
Figure 7
Aetiologic classification of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathies. The most common cause
of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy is a genetic defect of desmosomal genes, although
there are other genetic and non-genetic causes (see the text for details).
Conclusions
A more appropriate use of the current ITF diagnostic criteria and future upgrade/revision
of the scoring system for diagnosis of ARVC should take into account: (i) the limitation
of current understanding of the genetic background of the disease that translates
into the risk of misdiagnosis if molecular genetic test is an integral part of the
diagnostic scoring system; (ii) the advances of technology and improvement of interpretation
of tissue characterization images by CMR which has become the leading imaging technique
for characterization of the disease phenotype; (iii) the broad spectrum of the ARVC
phenotype which includes left-dominant disease variants and requires specific diagnostic
criteria from different clinical categories; and (iv) the peculiarities of clinical
features and diagnostic tests of ARVC in the paediatric population which represents
a sizeable proportion of patients due to the increasing clinical and genetic screening
of families.
The research should focus on better understanding of the genetic background, improvement
of clinical and imaging characterization of the phenotype, with particular reference
to left-sided variants and discovery of diagnostic biomarkers.
77
The clinical relevance of the proposed classification of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy
remains to be evaluated by future studies.
Conflict of interest: none declared.
Supplementary Material
ehz669_Supplementary_File
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