HEART-FAILURE IN 3 PATIENTS WITH ACROMEGALY - ECHOCARDIOGRAPHIC ASSESSMENT

We evaluated 3 patients with acromegaly who developed heart failure. H eart failure appeared to be due to acromegalic cardiomyopathy in 2 pat ients who did not have hypertension or evidence of coronary artery dis ease, and it was possibly due to acromegalic cardiomyopathy combined w ith familiar hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in 1 patient. The common echo cardiographic findings in the present three cases were: 1) enlargement of the left atrium, 2) markedly dilated left ventricular cavity with diffuse hypokinesis, 3) decrease of indices of the left ventricular sy stolic function, and 4) no evidence of left ventricular hypertrophy. E chocardiographic findings in acromegaly with congestive heart failure resemble those of idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy,