Myocardial Calcification as a Rare Cause of Congestive Heart Failure: A Case Report
- Resource Type
- Academic Journal
- Authors
- El-Bialy, Adel; Shenoda, Michael; Saleh, Jahandar; Tilkian, Ara
- Source
- Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology and Therapeutics. Jun 01, 2005 10(2):137-143
- Subject
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 1074-2484
Myocardial calcification is a manifestation of either metastatic or dystrophic calcium deposition in the myocardium. Dystrophic calcification of the myocardium is most commonly seen in long-term survivors of substantial myocardial infarctions. Current literature has reported only 3 cases of myocardial calcification with normal coronary arteries. We present a case of an 80-year-old woman with multiple admissions over a 5-year period for congestive heart failure. She was found to have a normal left ventricular ejection fraction and normal coronary arteries on left heart catheterization. A high resolution computed tomography (CT) study of the chest revealed extensive left ventricular myocardial calcifications, which were not present 4 years earlier on CT. The patient's history and clinical presentation revealed no etiologic factors for her calcified myocardium.