[Cardiac amyloidosis with atrioventricular valve thickening and left atrial dysfunction: a case report].

A 70-year-old man with cardiac amyloidosis was referred to our hospital because of exertional chest pain accompanied by ischemic changes on electrocardiography on April 2, 1997. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed a normal size and normally contracted left ventricle without hypertrophy and "granular sparkling" quality of the myocardium, thickening of the mitral and tricuspid valves, and enlargement of the left atrium with reduced booster pump function. Pulsed Doppler mitral inflow velocity wave showed a pseudonormalized pattern, and pulmonary venous flow velocity wave showed a non-compliant pattern. Transesophageal echocardiography revealed thickening and reduced movement of the interatrial septum and reduced flow velocity in the left atrial appendage, suggesting left atrial dysfunction. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) stress thallium-201 myocardial scintigraphy showed reversible patchy defect mainly in the posterolateral wall. Left ventricular end-diastolic and pulmonary capillary wedge pressures were mildly elevated. Angiography showed normal coronary arteries, but coronary flow reserve measured by administering intravenous ATP in the left anterior descending artery was severely impaired. A rectal biopsy specimen was positive by Congo red staining. Thus, angina pectoris in this patient may be due to amyloid infiltration of the small intramural coronary arteries. Atrioventricular valve thickening and left atrial dysfunction are important clues to diagnose cardiac amyloidosis.