Isolated left ventricular noncompaction in a 90-year-old man

Isolated ventricular myocardial noncompaction is a cardiomyopathy that is being diagnosed more frequently in patients of all ages because of increased awareness and improvements in imaging methods. It is an extremely rare cause of heart failure in nonagenarians. We describe the case of a man who presented with heart failure for the first time at 90 years of age. The diagnosis was isolated left ventricular noncompaction. Transthoracic echocardiography showed a trabeculated, sponge-like appearance of the left ventricular apical and inferolateral segments. After medical management, the patient was asymptomatic at the 3-month follow-up examination. Knowledge of ventricular noncompaction is increasing within the cardiology community. Patients who have isolated noncompaction with a limited number of involved ventricular segments can live beyond normal life expectancy without developing heart failure. In addition to discussing our patient's case, we briefly review the relevant medical literature.