ENDOMYOCARDIAL BIOPSY IN INFANTS AND CHIL DREN

Transvascular endomyocardial biopsy is a diagnostic tool applicated ra rely to infants and children. Based on the experience in 95 biopsied i nfants and children, various techniques and pathologic investigations are described. Because of the different course and spectrum of disease s the histologic changes are often less pronounced in children than in adults. Diagnostic changes are found in various storage and metabolic diseases and in endocardial fibroelastosis (11 % of our biopsies). Bi opsy was helpful in patients with cardiomyopathy and myocarditis (75 % of our biopsies) and of no help in 14 %. By application of modern imm unohistochemical methods and gene hybridization evidence can be furthe r increased.