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Objective To explore the relationship between hypothyroidism and myocardial injury in patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDC) by 99Tcm-MIBI SPECT/18 F-FDG PET and late-gadolinium enhancement cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (cMRI-LGE).Methods Sixty-three consecutive patients (42 males and 21 females,(52±11) years) with IDC were enrolled from October 2010 to December 2012.Serum TT3,TT4,FT3,FT4 and TSH were determined using a fully automated chemiluminescence immunoassay.All patients underwent 99Tcm-MIBI myocardial perfusion SPECT/18F-FDG myocardial metabolism PET imaging and cMRI-LGE.Seventeen segments model was used for segmental analysis.Patterns of perfusion/metabolism were classified as normal,mismatch,mild-to-moderate match and complete match.cMRI-LGE was classified into 3 categories (non-LGE,mid-wall LGE and transmural LGE).x2 test was used for data analysis.Results All patients were divided into euthyroid group (n =53) and hypothyroidism group (n =10) according to the levels of serum thyroid hormones.The percentage of normal perfusion/metabolism segments in the euthyroid group was apparently higher than that in the hypothyroidism group:71.8％ (647/901) vs 57.6％ (98/170),x2 =13.50,P＜0.001 ; whereas the percentage of perfusion/metabolism mismatch segments in the euthyroid group was significantly lower than that in the hypothyroidism group:17.8％ (160/901) vs 31.2％ (53/170),x2=16.20,P＜0.001.The euthyroid group had a higher percentage of non-LGE segments (88.0％ (793/901) vs 69.4％ (118/170),x2 =35.70,P＜0.001) and a lower percentage of mid-wall LGE segments (4.8 ％ (43/901) vs 24.1％ (41 / 170),x2 =74.70,P＜ 0.001) compared to hypothyroidism group.Conclusions Hypothyroidism has a detrimental effect on myocardium.99Tcm-MIBI SPECT/18F-FDG PET imaging is sensitive in detecting viable/ischemia myocardium,and cMRI-LGE is good at detecting moderate fibrosis.Combining SPECT/PET imaging and cMRI-LGE for assessing myocardial injury would provide more comprehensive information.
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Objective To evaluate the relationship of myocardial MR contrast delay-enhancement and nuclear perfusion-metabolism pattern in patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDCM).Methods Forty-two consecutive patients (29 men and 13 women,age:(53 ±12) years) diagnosed clinically with IDCM were enrolled.All patients underwent 99Tcm-MIBI SPECT,18F-FDG PET imaging and MR contrast delay-enhancement imaging within 3-7 d.The myocardial perfusion-metabolism segment analysis was performed using a 17-segment model.Segmental 99Tcm-MIBI and 18F-FDG uptakes were scored visually using a 4-grade scoring system (0 =normal uptake,1 =mildly reduced uptake,2 =moderately reduced uptake,3 =severely reduced uptake).Patterns of perfusiorn/metabolism were classified as normal,mismatch,mild-to-moderate match and severe match.Myocardial MR contrast delay-enhancement was classified into 3 categories (non,mid-wall and transmural delay-enhancement).x2 test was used to analyze the differences of perfusion/metabolism patterns among non,mid-wall and transmural delay-enhancement groups and the myocardial MR contrast delay-enhancement incidence among four perfusion/metabolism groups.Resuits Among the 42 patients,myocardial delay-enhancement was present in 18 patients,of which 94.4％ (17/18) showed abnormal myocardial perfusion/metabolism patterns and only 33.3 ％ (8/24) patients without abnormal myocardial delay-enhancement had abnormal myocardial perfusion/metabolism patterns (x2 =15.944,P ＜ 0.001).Perfusion/metabolism patterns varied in three different categories of non,mid-wall and transmural delay-enhancement (x2 =14.276,P ＜ 0.001).The normal peffusion/metabolism pattern proportions in the non,mid-wall and transmural delay-enhancement groups were 86.2％ (526/610),71.0％ (44/62) and 28.6％ (12/42),respectively.The incidence of transmural delay-enhancement (44.4％ (12/27)) was significantly higher in segments with severe match than that in the other 3 groups (normal:2.1％ (12/582) ; mismatch:18.1％ (15/83) ; mild-to-moderate match:13.6％ (3/22) ; x2 =112.530,P ＜ 0.001).Conclusions MR contrast delay-enhancement is much more sensitive in detecting moderate fibrosis,while nuclear perfusion-metabolism imaging can detect more impaired but viable myocardium.Combining the two imaging modalities is useful for providing comprehensive evaluations of myocardial injury in patients with IDCM.
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Persistent left superior vena cava is the most common venous congenital malformation and is usually asymptomatic. Its presence could increase the difficulty for transvenous lead implantation. We report a 71-year-old woman with an idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy, atrial fibrillation and heart failure that required biventri-cular resynchronization therapy. During the placement of the device a persistent left superior vena cava was detected. The device was placed without problems and the patient had a satisfactory postoperative evolution.
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Aged , Female , Humans , Atrial Fibrillation/therapy , Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy , Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy Devices , Cardiomyopathy, Dilated/therapy , Heart Failure/therapy , Vena Cava, Superior/abnormalitiesABSTRACT
ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of ARB or/and β-blocker in treatment of dilated cardiomyopathy(DCM).Methods95 cases with DCM were randomly divided into 3 groups.ARB group(A,32 cases) was treated with Irbesartan,150 mg/d without adverse drug reaction and then to 300 mg/d weekly; β-blocker group( B,30cases) was treated with Bisoprolol,1.25 mg/d without adverse drug reaction and then to maximal dose weekly; combination group( AB,33 cases) was treated with Irbesartan and Bisoprolol to maximal dose which patients were able to tolerate.The 3 groups were observed for a period of 12 months.ResultsComparing with pretreatment,the results of 6min walk,LVEDd,LVESd,LVEF were improved significantly( all P ＜0.05).There were no significant differences between A group and B group(P ＞0.05),but the differences between combination group and A group or B group were significant( P ＜0.05 ).ConclusionEffect of ARB combined with β-blocker was better than that of ARB or β-blocker alone in treatment of DCM and well tolerated.
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Objective To compare 99Tcm-MIBI MPI with delayed enhancement MRI (DE-MRI) in patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDCM). Methods Forty patients with IDCM were included. They underwent both rest 99Tcm-MIBI myocardial perfusion imaging and DE-MRI within 7 days. 99Tcm-MIBI MPI was performed to identify diffuse or segmental abnormal perfusion patterns including reduced or defect perfusion segments. DE-MRI images were divided into 4 categories: no delayed enhancement, septal, subendocardial and transmural delayed enhancement, x2 test was used for data analysis. Results Diffuse and segmental perfusion abnormality on 99Tcm-MIBI MPI were found in 19 (47.5%) and 21 (52.5%)patients respectively, while DE-MRI enhancement was simultaneously found in 5 patients of the former (5/19, 26.3%) and 18 (18/21, 85.7%) of the latter (x2 =14.401, P＜0. 001). For those (n=18) with both segmental perfusion abnormality and DE-MRI enhancement, the number of segments of the 4 DE-MRI respectively. A significant difference was found in the DE-MRI enhancement categories between normal and defect perfusion segments (x2 = 29. 183, P ＜0.001 ) and between reduced and defect perfusion segments as well (x2 =25. 110, P＜0. 001). Conclusions Both diffuse and segmental perfusion abnormalities on 99Tcm-MIBI MPI can be found in patients with IDCM. DE-MRI enhancement is more frequently found in patients with segmental perfusion abnormality.
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Objective To explore the characteristics of dipyridamole 201 Tl myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) SPECT in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. Methods Thirty patients with dilated cardiomyopathy underwent pharmacological stress 201Tl MPI SPECT after intravenous infusion of dipyridamole (0. 56 mg/kg) for 4 min. The early and delayed SPECT images were acquired respectively at 10 and 240 min after 201Tl injection. The images were analyzed and reported by two or three experienced nuclear medicine physicians. Results All patients were found to have abnormal perfusion patterns at delay imaging, however 90.00% (27/30) were also abnormal at early images. Six patients had reverse redistribution. Conclusion Dipyridamole 201Tl MPI SPECT imaging may be of some value for the assessment of patients with dilated cardiomyopathy.
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AIM: To establish an animal model of experimental autoimmune myocarditis (EAM) in BALB/c mice and to investigate the expression and significance of Toll-like receptor 3 in mouse EAM. METHODS: BALB/c mice were immunized with cardiac myosin extracted from porcine ventricular myocardium covered by complete freund's adjuvant (CFA) on 0 d and 7 d, then divided into immunized with CFA only. Serum and myocardium samples were collected at 14 d and 21 d after the first immunization. HE staining was used to identify the areas of inflammation. The myosin IgG antibody was examined by indirect ELISA assay. The changes of TLR3 protein and mRNA expression in myocardial tissue were measured by immunohistochemistry and real time-PCR. RESULTS: Compared to control group, immunohistochemistry results showed that there was positive expression of TLR3 in the myocardium of mice with EAM and the mRNA of TLR3 were more than 20 times (P<0.05). The expression of interferon beta mRNA in EAM group was more than 14 times as many as basal expression, that of tumor necrosis factor alpha was more than 18 times (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The expression of Toll-like receptor 3 in myocardium is up-regulated in experimental autoimmune myocarditis. The inflammatory response to cardiac myosin may associate with the TLR3 signal transduction pathway.
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Integrin-linked kinase (ILK) is a widely expressed protein kinase that relate to cellular growth and differentiation. It is most abundant in the heart. Recently, many researches revealed that ILK is highly relevant to cardiac response to biomechanical stresses. Also, ILK plays important roles in regulation of the occurrence and development of cardiac hypertrophy, dilated cardiomyopathy, viral myocarditis and myocardial senescence via correlation to several classical signal transduction pathway. Meanwhile, ILK functions in protection after myocardial infarction. This article will try to summarize the effects and relevant mechanism of ILK in above-mentioned aspects, overall reveals the roles of ILK in heart and its potential clinical significance.
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0.05).Conclusion Intracoronary transplantation of ABMMNCs may not improve the heart function of DCM with abnormal Q wave.
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[Objective] To investigate the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) of Neiguan (PC6) poinl on rnyocardial fibrosis and myocardial contents of collagen type Ⅰ and type Ⅲ in rats with pressure overload. [ Methods ] Rats were randomized to four groups: pseudo-operation group ( group A), model group ( group B) , EA group ( group C) and western medicine group (group D). Pressure-overloaded rat models were established by restriction of abdominal aortic artery. Left ventricular mass index (LVMI) and blood pressure (BP) in the four groups were observed; the plasma level of angiotensin Ⅱ (Ang Ⅱ ) was detected by radioimmunoassay and myocardial contents of collagen type Ⅰ and type Ⅲ by immunohistochemical staining method. [Results] BP, LVMI, expression levels of Ang If and collagen type Ⅰ and type Ⅲ were increased in group B as compared with those in group A ( P 0.05) . [Conclusion] EA of Neiguan point is effective in preventing and treating myocardial fibrosis induced by pressure overload.
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We investigated the interrelations between surface electrocardiographic changes and clinical outcomes in children with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCMP). 33 patients (19 boys, 14 girls) were classified into two groups; group I (15) who were in poor clinical status or dead; and group II (18) who showed good clinical status. Group I had larger LV dimensions compared to group II (Gr I vs. Gr II; LVEDD, 52 +/-11 vs. 42+/-7 (mm); LVESD, 43+/-12 vs. 30+/-5 (mm); p<0.05). QRS duration was prolonged in Gr I compared to Gr II and normal (Gr I, 84+/-28; Gr II, 66+/-12; normal control, 67+/-9). The QRS duration was correlated with the dimensions of left ventricle (LV). Corrected QT and JT interval and dispersions of QT in the DCMP group showed a significant difference compared to the normal control, however there was no significant difference between Gr I and II. In conclusion, QRS duration was correlated with ventricular dimension and clinical outcome in children with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. Irrespective of increased ventricular inhomogeneity, QT dispersion could not be used to predict long-term prognosis.
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Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Infant , Male , Cardiomyopathy, Dilated/diagnosis , Electrocardiography , Electrodes , Predictive Value of Tests , Prognosis , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
Objective Cardiac resynchronization therapy(CRT) by simultaneous biventricular pacing improves left ventricular systolic synchrony in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy(DCM). Tissue synchronization imaging(TSI) technique was used to evaluate the impact of sequential CRT with individualized interventricular delay programming.Methods TSI was carried out in five patients with DCM and left bundle branch block before and one day after pacemaker implantation in four chamber view,two chamber view and apical long aixs view and in two patients with DCM before pacemaker implantation.Results Three patients with DCM showed that left ventricular asynchrony was improved afetr CRT,but two patients with DCM showed left ventricular asynchrony was not improved after CRT.CRT was not performed in one patient with DCM due to ventricular systolic resynchronization,one patient with DCM did not have CRT because LVEF was 42%.Conclusions TSI is useful in predicting and evaluating the effect of CRT in the patients with DCM.
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Objective To investigate abnormal myocardial contractile responses induced by dobutamine in patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).Methods Eighteen DCM patients underwent low dosage dobutamine stress echocardiography (5,10,20 ?g?kg~ -1?min~ -1).Transthoracic echocardiogram was recorded with the use of a HP Sonos 5500 color echocardiographic diagnostic system.Wall motions in 16 myocardial segments were assessed using a four-point scale recommended by the American Society of Echocardiography.During dobutamine infusion,abnormally contracting segments were classified into four different patterns of contractile response: improved,unchanged,worsened and biphasic.Unchanged,worsened and biphasic segments were defined as abnormal contractile responses.Worsened and biphasic segments were judged to be ischemia-like responses.Results All patients showed abnormal myocardial contractile responses of wall motions (100%),and thirteen were ischemia-like responses ( 72.2%).In total 225 segments,126 segments showed abnormal contractile responses ( 56.0%).Among them,97 segments were unchanged segments ( 43.1%),29 segments were ischemia-like responses ( 12.9%),in which 16 segments were worsened ( 7.1%),and 13 segments were biphasic ( 5.8%).The statistical analysis showed that incidence of improved segments was highest in two point segments( 62.1%) compared with three point and four point segments; incidence of ischemia-like responses was highest in three point segments( 24.6%); incidence of unchanged segments was highest in four point segments( 68.4%).Conclusions DCM has the abnormal myocardial contractile responses induced by dobutamine stress echocardiography.It indicates there is the ischemia-like energy mismatch between demand and supply in DCM,which would be related to etiology and progress of DCM.
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Objective To assess the effects of intraventricular conduction abnormality on left ventricular function in dilated cardiomyopathy. Methods The study composed of 3 groups,16 patients of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) without wide QRS complexes, 16 patients of DCM with complete left bundle branch block(CLBBB),and 16 age-matched healthy individuals,all showing sinus rhythm and being complicated with mitral regurgitation. Pre-ejection contraction time(PET), left ventricular ejection time(LVET), left ventricular filling time(LVFT), myocardial performance index(MPI), mitral regurgitation time(MRT), stroke volume(SV) were recorded with pulsed or continuous-wave Doppler. Pulse tissue Doppler imagining(TDI) was performed to measure the time dispersity of electromechanical motion of left ventricular in systole and diastole on the atrial-ventricular annulus with mapping techniques. Results Time dispersity of electromechanical motion of adjacent left ventricular segments in systole[((77.9)?(13.6))ms vs ((52.1)?(13.2))ms vs ((28.3)?(7.2))ms, P
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Objective To investigate if diastolic function could be improved by cardiac sympathetic nerve blockade in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Methods Sixty consecutive cases of DCM were randomed into therapeutic group and control group. Patients in therapeutic group were administered thoracic epidural blockade (TEB) (T 1-5 ) with 0.5 % lidocaine intermittent injection every two hours for four weeks, in addition to some routine medicine, while patients in control group were only administered routine treatment. Then the parameters of left ventricular diastolic function were evaluated with Doppler echocardiography before and after four weeks. Results ①All the patients in TEB group felt better within five minutes after injection of lidocaine within local epidural cavity.Their symptoms were relieved more rapidly than those of the drug therapy alone. Some patients with NYHA class Ⅳ could lie down supine in a short time. Exercise tolerance increased in patients with NYHA class Ⅱ to Ⅲ. But symptoms and signs of patients in control group were relieved very slowly, some patients even got worsen. ② Thirteen of thirty in therapeutic group got improvement on diastolic function after treatment. One of thirty in this group deteriorated. In detail, six of fifteen patients with demonstrated improvement of left ventricular diastolic filling changed from having a restrictive filling pattern to having a pseudonormal left ventricular filling pattern. Four of nine patients with a pseudonormal filling pattern changed to have a delayed filling pattern.Three of six patients, left ventricular filling pattern moved from a pseudonormal left ventricular filling pattern to a normal filling pattern. Only one patient acquired a restrictive filling pattern from a pseudonormal filling pattern. In contrast, in control group one of thirty got improvement on diastolic function after treatment. Nine of thirty in this group deteriorated. Individual changes of left ventricular filling pattern showed that only one patient improved from a delayed filling pattern to normal filling pattern, whereas seven patients had a restrictive left ventricular filling pattern developed from a pseudonormal filling pattern and another two patients achieved a pseudonormal filling pattern from delayed filling pattern. Conclusions Diastolic function in patients with DCM was improved significantly by cardiac sympathetic nerve blockade. The approach has beneficial effects on the patients of DCM.
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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Cardiac troponin T (cTnT) has been used as a very sensitive marker of cardiac injury caused by ischaemia, myocarditis, and cardiomyopathy. After cardiac injury, the fetal cTnT isoform expression in the heart and serum cTnT increases. To investigate the increased levels of serum cTnT, and the expression of fetal cTnT isoform in the heart, that can predict myocardial injury, we measured serum cTnT levels and the fetal cTnT isoform expression at various time points during the early phase of myocardial toxicity induced by adriamycin (ADR) in rat. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were injected, intraperitoneally, with ADR (5 mg/kg) twice a week for 2 weeks. Control rats were injected with saline. Serum cTnT levels were measured by ELISA. The ratio of fetal/adult (F/A) cTnT isoform expression (%) was semi-quantified by RT-PCR using total RNA from frozen hearts. RESULTS: Serum cTnT levels did not increase by 1 week after ADR injection, but increased significantly after 2 weeks. The ratio of F/A cTnT in the heart significantly increased from day 1, peaked at 1 week and persisted until the end of 2 week. CONCLUSION: The expression of the fetal cTnT isoform occurred from 1 day after ADR injection when the serum cTnT levels were still normal. Although the serum cTnT level is a very sensitive, and an early marker, of cardiac damages, the fetal cTnT isoform expression in the endomyocardial biopsy specimen may be a more sensitive and an earlier marker in the ADR-induced myocardial damage.
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Animals , Humans , Male , Rats , Biopsy , Cardiomyopathies , Cardiomyopathy, Dilated , Doxorubicin , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay , Heart , Myocarditis , Rats, Sprague-Dawley , RNA , Troponin T , TroponinABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a rare form of heart failure affecting women between the last month of pregnancy and the first five months after delivery. The etiology and prognostic factors of PPCM remains poorly understood, although some risk factors have been described. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: In order to characterize the features of PPCM, clinical and echocardiographic data, obtained from 19 patients who fulfilled diagnostic criteria of PPCM, from January 1996 to march 2001, were retrospectively analyzed. We divided the sample into 2 groups, which were classified according to clinical and echocardiographic improvements. (Group I; patients who improved, Group II; patients who did not improved, or deteriorated). RESULTS: Patients with PPCM (n=19, age: 32+/-5 yrs, NYHA Class: II-IV, LVEF: 34.1+/-8.8%, follow-up period: 14.2+/-16.3 months) had a high frequencies of the following clinical factors: Anaemia (16/19, 84.2%); Pre-eclampsia (11/19, 57.9%); Multiparity (11/19, 57.9%); aged over 30 yrs old at delivery (11/19, 57.9%). During follow up, 10 patients improved to NYHA Class I, 8 patients failed to improve, or deteriorated, and 1 patient died due to ventricular fibrillation. Group II (n=9, age: 31+/-3 yrs, follow up LVEF: 38.8+/-12.9%), as compared to Group I (n=10, age: 33+/-6 yrs, follow up LVEF: 56.4+/-6.4%), had greater left ventricular end-systolic dimension (LVESD, 53.0+/-7.7 mm vs 45.9+/-4.8 mm; p<0.05). CONCLUSION: PPCM has a high rate of progression to dilated cardiomyopathy. Therefore, in pregnant women with common clinical findings of PPCM, including anemia, pre-eclampsia, multiparity and old age at delivery, the initial echocardiographic assessment for cardiac function is essential, and serial follow-up is required.
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Female , Humans , Pregnancy , Anemia , Cardiomyopathies , Cardiomyopathy, Dilated , Echocardiography , Follow-Up Studies , Heart Failure , Parity , Peripartum Period , Pre-Eclampsia , Pregnant Women , Retrospective Studies , Risk Factors , Ventricular FibrillationABSTRACT
Polymyositis is a rare complication of interferon alpha treatment as a result of immunemodulating role of the drug itself. In this case, interferon alpha induced polymyositis and cardiomyopathy is diagnosed in a 33-yr-old male patient with history of chronic hepatitis B. To treat hepatitis B, interferon alpha was administered until the proximal muscle weakness developed. Thereafter, sixteen cycles of immunoglobulin treatment (400 mg/kg) along with corticosteroids were instituted and led to an improvement in subjective symptoms with decreases in level of CPK and LDH. However, dilated cardiomyopathy has not improved in spite of the cessation of interferon treatment. Unlike the persistently elevated serum HBV DNA level, the serum ALT and AST levels have gradually decreased. Our case shows that clinical symptoms of polymyositis improved with steroid and immunoglobulin treatment without deterioration of the hepatitis B. To our knowledge, this is the first case of polymyositis associated with dilated cardiomyopathy after the administration of interferon in a patient with hepatitis B.
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Adult , Humans , Male , Adrenal Cortex Hormones/therapeutic use , CD13 Antigens/blood , Antiviral Agents/adverse effects , Aspartate Aminotransferases/blood , Cardiomyopathy, Dilated/blood , Hepatitis B, Chronic/blood , Immunoglobulins, Intravenous/therapeutic use , Interferon-alpha/adverse effects , Polymyositis/blood , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The so-called 'stress-induced cardiomyopathy' or takotsubo cardiomyopathy, mimicking acute myocardial infarction (AMI), has recently been reported, particularly in Japan. We prospectively studied the clinical characteristics of, for the first time with a Korean series, this novel syndrome. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Eighteen patients, fore filling the inclusion criteria, were entered onto the study. The criteria for inclusion were: 1) no previous history of cardiac disease, 2) acute onset, 3) a regional wall motion abnormality in the left ventriculogram, typically in the apical segment, and 4) no significant stenosis in the coronary angiogram. RESULTS: The events preceding the condition included: emotional stress (N=7), acute illness (N=5), non-cardiac surgery or medical procedure (N=4) and accident (N=2). Chest pain, dyspnea, or nausea/vomiting were initially noted in 12 cases (66%). Pulmonary edema was demonstrated in 10 (56%), and cardiogenic shock in 4 (23%) of the patients. The peak creatinine kinase MB fraction was 69+/-136 IU/L. A T wave inversion was noted in all patients, whereas, a Q wave was noted transiently in only 1. The average left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was 38+/-8% on the initial echocardiograms. On the left ventriculograms, 15 patients showed akinetic wall motion, or aneurysmal dilatation in the apical wall, however, notably in 3 patients in the mid-ventricular wall. The coronary vasospasm provocation tests were negative in all 10 patients tested. An intravascular ultrasonography showed no infarct-related plaques in the 4 patients examined. On a follow-up echocardiogram, the average LVEF was improved to 51+/-8%, and regional wall motion was normalized after 30+/-29 days following onset. CONCLUSION: We report, for the first time in a series of Korean patients, on a novel stress-induced cardiomyopathy with transient regional wall motion abnormality, mimicking AMI. The precise etiology remains to be elucidated in further studies.
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Humans , Aneurysm , Cardiomyopathies , Cardiomyopathy, Dilated , Chest Pain , Constriction, Pathologic , Coronary Vasospasm , Creatinine , Dilatation , Dyspnea , Follow-Up Studies , Heart Diseases , Japan , Myocardial Infarction , Myocardial Stunning , Phosphotransferases , Prospective Studies , Pulmonary Edema , Shock, Cardiogenic , Stress, Psychological , Stroke Volume , Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy , Ultrasonography, InterventionalABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDC) is a disease entity with no known specific curative measures. However, significant improvement in the left ventricular (LV) systolic function, during the management course for IDC, is frequently observed. In this study we tried to ascertain associated factors for the improvement of the LV function in patients with IDC. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Thirty-three patients, newly diagnosed as IDC between Jan. 1999 and Jan. 2001, on whom a 6-month follow-up echocardiography was performed, were included in the study. Improvement in the LV systolic function was defined as an increase in the LV ejection fraction greater than 10% from the baseline. The subjects were divided into two groups; the improved group (IG) and the unimproved group (UG). The clinical characteristics and management methods were evaluated, and compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Seventeen patients (M/F:15/2) were included in the IG, and 16 (M/F:7/9) were included in the UG. There were no significant differences in the baseline LV systolic function (IG:23.4+/-1.5% vs. UG:28.9+/-2.3%), age, NYHA functional class or resting heart rate on admission between the two groups. b-blocker therapy (p=0.002), the absence of diabetes mellitus (p=0.046) and male sex (p=0.007), were all significantly associated with an improvement in the LV systolic function from the univariate analyses. With the multivariate analyses, only b-blocker therapy was significantly associated with an improvement in the LV systolic function. The 6-month event-free survival rate was significantly better in the IG compared with UG (94+/-5% vs. 63+/-13%, p=0.031). CONCLUSION: b-blocker therapy exerts a considerable effecs on the improvement in the LV systolic function of patients with IDC.