Effectiveness of long-term beta-blocker therapy for dilated cardiomyopathy--echocardiographical follow-up.
To evaluate the effectiveness of long-term beta-blocker therapy for dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), two groups (Group I: 18 patients, Group II: 17 patients) with DCM divided by the order at the entry were followed echocardiographically for 16.9 +/- 3.0 months in Group I and 21.4 +/- 3.9 months in Group II. Metoprolol (final dose: 60 mg/day) was administered in Group I, but not in Group II (the control), although the conventional treatment for heart failure was continued. The left ventricular end-systolic dimension and ejection fraction assessed by echocardiography improved significantly after 6 months in Group I, but not in Group II, even after 48 months, although there were no significant differences in baseline data between the two groups. The end-diastolic dimension decreased significantly after 12 months in Group I only. It was estimated, using the point count method on a left ventricular endomyocardial biopsy specimen taken at entry, that the improvement (delta EF) of the ejection fraction 12 months after metoprolol administration inversely correlated (r = -0.677, p less than 0.01) with percent fibrosis, indicating that the more myocardium remains, the more improvement is expected. These findings suggested a favorable effect of beta blockade in DCM, especially in cases with less fibrosis, showing that the endomyocardial biopsy could be of clinical use in selecting candidates for chronic beta-blocker therapy in DCM.
Fukunami
M
M
Division of Cardiology, Osaka Prefectural Hospital, Japan.
Hashimura
K
K
Ohmori
M
M
Ikeda
T
T
Umemoto
K
K
Kumagai
K
K
Sakai
A
A
Yamada
T
T
Kondoh
N
N
Minamino
T
T
D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002311:Cardiomyopathy, Dilated / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004452:Echocardiography; D004719:Endomyocardial Fibrosis / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008790:Metoprolol / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008875:Middle Aged; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left / Q000187:drug effects
D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; D008790:Metoprolol