title: [Magnetic resonance imaging in chronic Chagas cardiopathy. Correlation with endomyocardial biopsy findings].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the correlation between magnetic resonance imaging of the heart and right ventricle endomyocardial biopsy results in chronic Chagas' heart disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ten patients with Chagas' disease, mean age 47 +/- 7 years, all males, in congestive heart failure with New York Heart Association class II (2 patients), III (6) and IV (2) were studied. Mean left ventricular ejection fraction was at echocardiogram 36 +/- 6%. The patients were submitted to right ventricular endomyocardial biopsy and magnetic resonance imaging of the heart. The results of this group were compared with a control group of patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy, with mean age of 46 +/- 10 years and left ventricular ejection fraction of 30 +/- 4%, in heart failure with functional class II (1 patient), III (5) and IV (1).
  
  
  RESULTS
  All patients with Chagas' heart disease presented an increase in magnetic ressonance imaging signal of the heart after gadolinium use. The septal signal intensity changed from 0.87 +/- 0.06 to 1.54 +/- 0.16 (p < 0.001). In the control group the mean septal signal intensity was 0.93 +/- 0.07 before and 0.89 +/- 0.06 after the gadolinium (p = ns). Eight patients of the Chagas' disease group had biopsy proven myocarditis and two had borderline myocarditis. However, only one patient of the control group had diagnosis of borderline myocarditis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Myocarditis is frequently found in Chagas' heart disease patients and who unlike controls present a significant increase in myocardial signal intensity after gadolinium infusion. The magnetic resonance imaging of the heart seems a promising alternative method for the diagnosis of an inflammatory process in Chagas' heart disease.
authors.affiliation: Instituto do Coração do Hospital das Clínicas-FMUSP, São Paulo.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kalil
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Bocchi
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: de Lourdes Higuchi
authors.forename: N H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Lopes
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Magalhães
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mady
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Pereira Barretto
authors.forename: C P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Albuquerque
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bellotti
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002598:Chagas Cardiomyopathy / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology*
vernacular_title: Imagem por ressonância magnética na cardiopatia chagásica crônica. Correlação com biopsia endomiocárdica.