Hemodynamics in endomyocardial fibrosis

Abstract

Nine patients with endomyocardial fibrosis have been studied. The clinical diagnosis was confirmed by right ventricular angiography in all of them. They were submitted to right and left ventricular catheterization and had the cardiac pressures, the pulmonary arteriolar resistance, and the cardiac index measured. The ratio between the end-diastolic and systolic ventricular pressures has been taken as an index of the degree of impairment to ventricular filling, and, based on this, patients were classified into two groups: I, predominant or isolated right ventricular disease (seven patients); and II, predominant left ventricular disease (two patients). Group I patients were characterized by a right ventricular D 2 S ratio above 60 per cent, severe tricuspid regurgitation, a diastolic pulmonary artery pressure slightly lower than the right ventricular plateau and end-diastolic pressures, and a reversal of the gradient between the left ventricular end-diastolic pressure and the right atrial mean pressure; these two latter findings strongly suggesting a diastolic blood flow between the right atrium and the left ventricle. The two patients in Group II did not show evidences suggestive of tricuspid regurgitation or of an early opening of the pulmonic valve. Even presenting high values for the left ventricular D 2 S ratio, the pulmonary arteriolar resistance was normal in one patient and mildly elevated in the other patient.