Pseudohypertrophy of the left ventricle secondary to anaphylaxis: A case report

Abstract

We report a case of pseudohypertrophy of the left ventricle secondary to hypovolaemia from anaphylaxis. The patient was a healthy young female who developed anaphylaxis during a general anaesthetic. A transthoracic echocardiogram performed during the anaphylaxis crisis demonstrated significant left ventricular hypertrophy. However, when the anaphylaxis had resolved, a follow-up transthoracic echocardiogram demonstrated a normal left ventricular wall thickness. This left ventricular hypertrophy was a pseudohypertrophy as the left ventricular mass was normal and the wall thickness normalised when the hypovolaemia and anaphylaxis had resolved. Pseudohypertrophy of the left ventricle is an echocardiographic finding that suggests hypovolaemia. Furthermore, this echocardiographic finding supports the importance of volume resuscitation in the management of anaphylaxis. This phenomenon may be more frequently reported in the future due to the wider availability of point-of-care ultrasonography along with an increase in the number of physicians trained in echocardiography.