title: [Usefulness of endomyocardial biopsy in myocarditis and dilated cardiomyopathy].
abstract: Through an endomyocardial biopsy (EB) we studied 30 patients, 15 of them with suspicious clinical diagnosis of myocarditis (M) and 15 with dilated cardiomyopathy (DC). In only 4 (26%) out of the 15 patients with M we found inflammatory changes in the biopsy. By serendipity a metastatic malignant tumor was found in one patient. In 9 (60%) out of the 15 cases with DC the histological report was compatible with interstitial fibrosis, hypertrophic myofibrils, myositic degeneration and atrophy and in 2 of these patients inflammatory cell infiltration. In all patients in whom we found these inflammatory process the illness was present for less than 6 months. We concluded that in only a limited percentage of patients with the clinical diagnosis of M inflammatory changes are present (26% in our study). In patients with DC the information given in few cases (13%) an inflammatory cell infiltration could be seen. The probability of finding inflammatory changes is higher if the duration of the disease is less than 6 months. It is important to have in mind that through this method an occult pathology could be discovered.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Cardiología del Hospital de Especialidades, Centro Médico La Raza, IMSS, México, D.F.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Almazán
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Murillo
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Badui
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001706:Biopsy; D002311:Cardiomyopathy, Dilated / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D004699:Endocardium / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000556:secondary; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009205:Myocarditis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology
vernacular_title: "Utilidad de la biopsia endomiocárdica en miocarditis y cardiomiopatía dilatada".