Dear Colleagues,

 

In arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy, characterized by fibrofatty replacement of the myocardium, diagnostic efforts are difficult and many different steps are required to provide an accurate diagnosis.

In case of diagnosis standard ECG, echocardiography, right ventricular angiography and electrophysiological examination can provide strong diagnostic evidence.

The most relevant diagnostic method is cardiac MRI with late enhancement. Each of these diagnostic methods should be reported in advance.

Therapeutic options include ICD implantation, ablation of ventricular tachycardia using an endocardial or epicardial approach, pharmacological approaches (amiodarone, flecainide, and beta-blockers), and most importantly the management of heart failure. In nearly 40% of cases, different forms of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (arrhythmogenic biventricular cardiomyopathy and arrhythmogenic left ventricular cardiomyopathy) result in severe heart failure that can only be managed with early prophylactic treatment triggered by the genetic findings (phospholamban, lamin A/C, and filamin C mutations).

I am pleased to invite you to submit original manuscripts on the subject of “Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy: diagnosis and therapy” for this Special Issue. Full papers, communications, and comprehensive reviews are welcome.

Prof. Stefan Peters

Guest Editor