title: Endomyocardial fibrosis in Behçet's disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report on four patients with Behçet's disease associated with endomyocardial fibrosis involving the right or the left ventricle.
  
  
  METHODS
  Charts of more than 350 patients with Behçet's disease were reviewed. Endomyocardial fibrosis was confirmed because of cardiac failure in three patients and incidentally discovered by histological examination of an operative specimen in one patient. Echocardiography displayed bright echogen endocardium. Angiocardiography showed a reduced ventricular size. Electron beam computed tomography demonstrated a lowdense area involving the endocardium. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a mass of intermediate intensity on T1 weighted images. Diagnosis of endomyocardial fibrosis was based on histological study of a biopsy specimen in one patient and of an operative specimen in three.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Six other similar cases of endomyocardial fibrosis complicating Behçet's disease were previously reported in the medical literature. Endomyocardial fibrosis predominantly involved the right ventricle. It can be considered a feature of Behçet's disease because: (a) no other cause was discovered; (b) arteritis, valvulopathy, and intraventricular thrombus were closely linked, and (c) all patients with endomyocardial fibrosis had vasculo-Behçet pattern.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Endomyocardial fibrosis may be the sequelae of vasculitis involving endocardium or myocardium, or both and complicated with intraventricular thrombosis. Behçet's disease should be added to the list of causes of endomyocardial fibrosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Groupe Hospitalier, Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France.
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Huong
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wechsler
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Papo
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: de Zuttere
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Bletry
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hernigou
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Delcourt
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Godeau
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Piette
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001528:Behcet Syndrome / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D004452:Echocardiography; D004699:Endocardium / Q000473:pathology; D004719:Endomyocardial Fibrosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed