Left ventricular false tendons: Echocardiographic characteristics in the Polish population

Abstract

Background: False tendon (FT) is described in a wide range (40% to 62%) of the examined hearts depending on age and additional heart abnormalities. On echocardiography, the range is even wider (1.6-78%), depending on study design and inclusion criteria. Ultrasonographic characteristics of left ventricular FTs in the Polish population are not well known. Materials and methods: Echocardiographic examinations of 1,679 consecutive patients were evaluated. All cases were classified according to American Society of Echocardiography Committee of Nomenclature and Standards Document on Identification of the Segments of the Heart Muscle. Results: In our study, fibrous structures in the lumen of the left ventricle were detected in 100 (6%) subjects of the study group. The age of the subjects ranged from 16 to 87 years (mean age 47.9), 50 were males and 50 were females. In 94% of the subjects, FT was a single structure. No patient had clinically evident arrhythmia. Conclusions: In the Polish population, FT can be identified in all age groups, and the prevalence is similar to that reported in the literature.