Endomyocardial Fibrosis: Preoperative Diagnosis and Surgical Therapy

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The case of a Nigerian student with biventricular endomyocardial fibrosis is presented. Diagnosis was suggested by cardiac catheterization and histologically confirmed by a percutaneous endomyocardial biopsy. Successful surgical repair including mitral valve replacement, tricuspid valve reconstruction, and left ventricular endomyocardial resection was performed through a biatrial approach. The pathologic and surgical considerations are reviewed. This is one of the few cases of endomyocardial fibrosis reported from the United States and the first in which a percutaneous endomyocardial biopsy was used to provide a definitive preoperative histologic diagnosis.