Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data
Citation:
Machang'a K, Alhusseiny K, Knipe H, et al. Bernheim phenomenon. Reference article, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 20 Jan 2025) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-179275
Bernheim phenomenon, also known as the Bernheim syndrome or the Bernheim effect, is the development of right heart failure before left heart failure and has been described in patients with a hypertrophied ventricular septum bulging into the right ventricle, restricting right ventricular diastolic performance 1-3. As a result, symptoms of right-sided congestive heart failure may appear before signs of left-sided congestive heart failure.
However, the concept of the Bernheim phenomenon has been viewed as a topic of discussion since its description in 1910 among cardiologists and cardiophysiologists 4-6.
Epidemiology
Associations
The Bernheim effect has been associated with the following entities:
History and Etymology
In 1910, Hippolyte Bernheim, a French professor, observed and described ten individuals with signs and symptoms of right-sided heart failure, who were found to have a hypertrophied left ventricle with the thickened septum bulging into the right ventricular chamber 1.
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1. Bernheim H. Venous asystole in hypertrophy of the left heart with associated stenosis of the right ventricle. Rev De Med. 1910;30:785–801.
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2. Russek H & Zohman B. The Syndrome of Bernheim. Am Heart J. 1945;30(5):427-41. doi:10.1016/0002-8703(45)90039-1 - Pubmed
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3. Drago E & Aquilina J. Bernheim's Syndrome. Am J Cardiol. 1964;14(4):568-72. doi:10.1016/0002-9149(64)90044-x
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4. Chung M, Ko J, Chamogeorgakis T, Hall S, Roberts W. The Myth of the Bernheim Syndrome. Proc (Bayl Univ Med Cent). 2013;26(4):401-4. doi:10.1080/08998280.2013.11929018 - Pubmed
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5. Selzer A, Bradley H, Willett F. A Critical Appraisal of the Concept of Bernheim's Syndrome. Am J Med. 1955;18(4):567-76. doi:10.1016/0002-9343(55)90457-5 - Pubmed
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6. Magoon R, Dey S, ItiShri, Kashav R. Evolution of Ventricular Interdependence Concept: Bernheim, Reverse-Bernheim Effect and Beyond!. Journal of the Practice of Cardiovascular Sciences 2020; 6(1):90-91. Link
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7. Murphy R, Sharma S, Mishra A, Subrayappa N, Singh M. 'Reverse Bernheim Effect’ and Reverse Right Ventricular Remodeling with Medical Therapy: A Case Series. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2023;81(8):3448. doi:10.1016/s0735-1097(23)03892-5
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8. Adams C. Bernheim Effect (Produced by an Interventricular Septal Aneurysm Following Septal Infarction). Dis Chest. 1966;50(6):641-2. doi:10.1378/chest.50.6.641 - Pubmed
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