title: Prognostic significance of morphometric endomyocardial biopsy analysis in patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To date, considerable controversy exists on the prognostic significance of morphometric endomyocardial biopsy findings in patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDC).
  
  
  METHODS
  Quantitative analyses of interstitial structured tissue, myofibril volume fraction, and myocytic fiber diameters of left ventricular endomyocardial biopsy specimens were performed in 124 patients with IDC.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During 51 +/- 22 months follow-up after left ventricular endomyocardial biopsy, major arrhythmic events, defined as sustained ventricular tachycardia (VT), ventricular fibrillation (VF), or sudden cardiac death, were observed in 24 patients (19%). Death from any cause or heart transplant was observed in 39 patients (31%). The amount of interstitial structured tissue, myofibril volume fraction, and myocytic fiber diameters determined from left ventricular endomyocardial biopsy specimens did not differ significantly between patients with and patients without major arrhythmic events or between patients with and patients without transplant-free survival during follow-up.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Quantitative analysis of the amount of interstitial structured tissue, myofibril volume fraction, and myocytic fiber diameters in left ventricular endomyocardial biopsy specimens does not appear to be useful for predicting arrhythmic events and transplant-free survival in IDC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Hospital of the Philipps-University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany. Wolfram.Grimm@med.uni-marburg.de
authors.forename: Wolfram
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Grimm
authors.forename: Sylvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rudolph
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Christ
authors.forename: Sabine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pankuweit
authors.forename: Bernhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Maisch
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001706:Biopsy; D002311:Cardiomyopathy, Dilated / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D016757:Death, Sudden, Cardiac / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D016027:Heart Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology*; D011379:Prognosis; D017180:Tachycardia, Ventricular / Q000209:etiology; D014693:Ventricular Fibrillation / Q000209:etiology