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Oh, Youn, Park, Lee, Choi, Park, Oh, Chung, and Hong: Endomyocardial Biopsy: One Center's Report About Its Role
Original Article
Korean Circulation Journal

Korean Circulation Journal 2008; 38(7): 374-378.

Published online: 31 July 2008

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4070/kcj.2008.38.7.374

Endomyocardial Biopsy: One Center's Report About Its Role

Su-Sung Oh, MD, Ho-Joong Youn, MD, Jeong-Hwan Park, MD, Dong-Hyun Lee, MD, Yun-Seok Choi, MD, Chul-Soo Park, MD, Yong-Seog Oh, MD, Wook-Sung Chung, MD, Soon-Jo Hong, MD

Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea.

Correspondence: Ho-Joong Youn, MD, Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, 62 Yeouido-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul 150-713, Korea. Tel: 82-2-3779-1325, Fax: 82-2-3779-1374, younhj@catholic.ac.kr

Received 26 January 2008       Revised 27 March 2008       Accepted 19 April 2008

Copyright © 2008 The Korean Society of Cardiology

Abstract

Background and Objectives

Cardiomyopathy is a common cause of heart failure, yet it is sometimes difficult to determine its exact etiology. Endomyocardial biopsy (EMBx) has been considered to be one of the important diagnostic modalities for unexplained cardiomyopathy. The aim of this study was to analyze the diagnostic value of EMBx.

Subjects and Methods

30 patients (M : F=26 : 4, mean age: 41±11 yrs) who underwent EMBx since 1992 at St. Mary's hospital were enrolled. The patients were classified into 4 groups by their clinical manifestations as follows: Group I: 11 patients with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) of an unknown etiology and suspicious of having infiltrative disease on their non-invasive tests, Group II: 15 patients with heart failure of an unknown etiology and rapid progression, Group III: 2 patients with heart failure and peripheral eosinophilia, Group IV: 2 patients with suspicious arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia and cardiac mass.

Results

EMBx confirmed the diagnosis in 8 of 30 cases (26.7%). In Group I, 3 patients were confirmed to have amyloidosis (27.3%). In Group II, 2 patients were diagnosed as having lymphocytic myocarditis (13.3%). In Group III, all of 2 patients (100%) were diagnosed as eosinophilic myocarditis. In Group IV, 1 patient was confirmed to have cardiac metastasis from esophageal cancer. The diagnostic rate was higher for Group III than for Group II (p=0.007). There were no complications related with EMBx.

Conclusion

EMBx may be a useful tool to confirm the causes of cardiomyopathy in selected patients.

Keywords: Endocardium, Biopsy, Cardiomyopathies, Heart failure

Figures and Tables

Fig. 1
Pathology of eosinophilic myocardits. The Inflammatory infiltrates are typically eosinophilic, with little myocytic necrosis (HE stain, ×100). HE: hematoxylin-eosin.
kcj-38-374-g001
Table 1
Indication of endomyocardial biopsy according to clinical manifestation
kcj-38-374-i001

LVH: left ventricular hypertrophy, ARVD: arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia

Table 2
Clinical characteristics of the patients
kcj-38-374-i002
Table 3
Diagnostic rate by endomyocardial biopsy*
kcj-38-374-i003

*Group IV was excluded, †p<0.05 versus group II

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