Multimodality imaging of myocardial tuberculosis presenting as right ventricular cardiomyopathy: A case report

Abstract

An 18-year male with no significant past medical history presented with features of right-sided heart failure. Haematological investigations revealed raised erythrocyte sedimentation rate (23 mm/h). Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) demonstrated biventricular systolic dysfunction with thickened free wall of right ventricle (RV). Whole-body fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET) computed tomography (FDG-PET-CT) showed intensely increased FDG uptake in the thickened RV wall and an FDG avid lesion in the left medial temporal lobe. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) characterized thickening and suggested an infiltrative disease (isointense on TI, hyperintense on myocardial oedema sensitive sequence with transmural enhancement on late gadolinium sequence). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain showed a thick rim enhancing ring lesion in the body of hippocampus. Endomyocardial biopsy revealed moderately dense lymphomononuclear inflammation with the formation of granulomas. Since tuberculosis is endemic in our country and considering all laboratory, imaging and biopsy findings a working diagnosis of tuberculosis was considered, and standard anti-tubercular treatment was started. There was an improvement in clinical status and follow-up imaging (TTE, CMR, brain MRI and FDG-PET-CT) showed improvement in biventricular function with regression in myocardial thickening and resolution of brain lesion, confirming the diagnosis of tuberculosis.

Keywords

myocardial tuberculosis right ventricular cardiomyopathy cardiac MR FDG-PET-CT endomyocardial biopsy

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