MYOCARDIAL THICKENING IN CHILDREN WITH ACUTE MYOCARDITIS

Two-dimensional echocardiography showed myocardial thickening in 3 of 16 acute myocarditis patients in childhood. In all 3 cases, this myoca rdial thickening was transient and diminished within 3 weeks. This myo cardial thickening was most marked at a few days after the onset; the interventricular septal thickness for each case was 13, 24, and 12 mm and the left ventricular posterior wall thickness was 13, 24, and 10 m m for each case. Two-dimensional echocardiography also revealed contra ction disturbances in these three cases at their onset, which improved with the diminution of myocardial thickening. The contraction disturb ance in acute myocarditis, occasionally causing cardiac pump failure, seems closely related to this myocardial thickening.