Reverse Left Ventricular Apical Rotation in Dilated Cardiomyopathy

We describe a 56-year-old woman with dilated cardiomyopathy, whose clinical assessment, including two-dimensional echocardiography, demonstrated a spherical left ventricular geometry with severe left ventricular enlargement and dysfunction as well as reverse apical rotation. Left ventricular twist and torsion were evaluated via echocardiography with velocity vector imaging; the patient was found to have reverse rotational movement. We hereby address these issues from an echocardiographic point of view. The patient was a 56-year-old woman, who referred to our clinic with complaints of dyspnea on exertion of 2 years’ duration. By the time of her referral, the patient’s dyspnea had exacerbated and reached New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class III These findings emphasize the potential clinical benefits of therapeutic procedures such as cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) or apex-sparing volume-reduction surgery in DCM. A better definition of the role and implications of reverse apical torsion in DCM and its importance and effectiveness in making therapeutic decisions like CRT implantation requires further studies