ORBITAL MYOSITIS, VITILIGO, AND GIANT-CELL MYOCARDITIS

Giant cell myocarditis is a rare idiopathic inflammatory heart disease characterized histologically by multinucleated giant cells, and clini cally by rapid progressive heart failure, arrhythmias, or sudden death , often within hours to days of initial symptoms. There are two previo usly reported cases of giant cell myocarditis with idiopathic orbital myositis. We report a similar case in a patient who also had vitiligo, a diagnostic endomyocardial biopsy, and survival because of a cardiac transplant. Giant cell myocarditis should be monitored for in the cou rse of inflammatory orbital myopathy because of its life-threatening f ulminant course.