Echocardiographic findings in fulminant and acute myocarditis

OBJECTIVES We sought to use echocardiography to assess the presentation and potential for recovery of left ventricular (LV) function of patients with fulminant myocarditis compared with those with acute myocarditis. BACKGROUND The clinical course of patients with myocarditis remains poorly defined. We have previously proposed a classification that provides prognos tic information in myocarditis patients. Fulminant myocarditis causes a dis tinct onset of illness and severe hemodynamic compromise, whereas acute myo carditis has an indistinct presentation, less severe hemodynamic compromise and a greater likelihood of progression to dilated cardiomyopathy. METHODS Echocardiography was performed at presentation and at six months to test the hypothesis that fulminant (n = 11) or acute (n = 43) myocarditis could be distinguished morphologically. RESULTS Patients with both fulminant (fractional shortening 19 +/- 4%) and acute myocarditis (17 +/- 7%) had LV systolic dysfunction. Patients with fu lminant myocarditis had near normal LV diastolic dimensions (5.3 +/- 0.9 cm ) but increased septal thickness (1.2 +/- 0.2 cm) at presentation, while th ose with acute myocarditis had increased diastolic dimensions (6.1 +/- 0.8 cm, p < 0.01 vs. fulminant) but normal septal thickness (1.0 +/- 0.1 cm, p = 0.01 vs. fulminant). At six months, patients with fulminant myocarditis h ad dramatic improvement in fractional shortening (30 +/- 8%) compared with no improvement in patients with acute myocarditis (19 +/- 7%, p < 0.01 for interaction between time and type of myocarditis). CONCLUSIONS Fulminant myocarditis is distinguishable from acute myocarditis by echocardiography. Patients with fulminant myocarditis exhibit a substan tial improvement in ventricular function at six months compared with those with acute myocarditis. Echocardiography has value in classifying patients with myocarditis and may provide prognostic information. (C) 2000 by the Am erican College of Cardiology.