BACKGROUND We performed a comparative study on Ca2+ release activity of the sarcoplasmic reticulum and calcium sensitivity of contractile apparatus of chemically skinned myocardial fibers obtained from four nonfailing human hearts and 13 excised hearts from patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. METHODS AND RESULTS Ca2+ sensitivity of contractile apparatus was studied by following t...

Aims This study was designed to gain insight into the patient characteristics, results and possible complications of ablation procedures for symptomatic idiopathic premature ventricular complexes (PVC) and idiopathic ventricular tachycardia (VT). Methods Data were collected from all patients who underwent radiofrequency catheter ablation for symptomatic PVCs and idiopathic VT in the Catharina H...

Background Alcohol consumed in large quantities for many years has long been recognized to induce an alcoholic cardiomyopathy. Clinically identical to idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy, alcoholic cardiomyopathy is a major form of secondary dilated cardiomyopathy in the Western world. (See Medscape Reference articles Alcoholic Cardiomyopathy and Dilated Cardiomyopathy.) With this change in cardi...

BACKGROUND Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is characterized by the basal hypercontractility and apical ballooning of the left ventriculum and T-wave inversion in the electrocardiogram. It has been suggested that Takotsubo cardiomyopathy might underlie the pathogenesis of persistent cardiac dysfunction; however, few reports are present demonstrating the advent of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy in patients wi...

OBJECTIVE The collagen subtypes I (Col I) and III (Col III) are essential components of the cardiac extracellular matrix (ECM) maintaining the functional integrity of the heart. Histological, immunohistological, and biochemical studies, however, demonstrate characteristical changes of the ECM in dilated cardiomyopathy, myocarditis, ischemic cardiomyopathy, and hypertensive heart disease. METH...

INTRODUCTION A feature of dilated cardiomyopathy is the deformation of ventricular cavity, which contributes to systolic dysfunction. Few studies have evaluated this deformation bearing in mind ventricular regions and segments of the ventricle, which could reveal important details of the remodeling process, supporting a better understanding of its role in functional impairment and the developme...

This report details the clinical, hemodynamic, and morphologic data from four patients 59 to 77 years old (mean 66) with a primary restrictive cardiomyopathy. All patients had symptoms of congestive heart failure, jugular venous distention, and murmurs of mitral and tricuspid regurgitation. Four patients required pacemakers, three for the brady-tachy syndrome and one for complete heart block. C...

Doshi, R., and Lodge, K. V. (1973). Archives of Disease in Childhood, 48, 431. Idiopathic cardiomyopathy in infants. Nine cases of cardiomyopathy in infants are described. The early age of occurrence suggests the possibility of an intrauterine onset, and the finding of virus antibodies to a significant titre in 3 of the 4 mothers examined suggests intrauterine viral infection as a possible caus...

The diagnosis of idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy is assigned to patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction and dilatation in the absence of any other documented cause. Idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy is presumed to have a multifactorial origin, possibly including autoimmune mechanisms. We reviewed the current state of knowledge of this topic, including a pathophysiological hypothes...

T HIS REPORT describes a group of children, ages 3 to 13, who present unusual cardiac findings suggestive of the earliest stages of idiopathic cardiomyopathy. Idiopathic cardiomyopathy refers to an enlargement of the heart without apparent cause, but primarily due to muscular hypertrophy. The process is dominant in the left ventricle, but can involve other chambers, either primarily or secondar...