[A morphological analysis of the specimens obtained during endomyocardial biopsies in patients with a clinical diagnosis of dilated cardiomyopathy].

The authors summarize experience gained with a study of biopsy specimens obtained on endomyocardial biopsies from 88 patients with a clinical diagnosis of dilated cardiomyopathy. The diagnostic value of the study was equal to 70%. Dilated cardiomyopathy largely masked myocarditis and alcoholic cardiomyopathy which were diagnosed morphologically in 30 and 13% of the patients, respectively. No morphological alterations which would allow one to change the clinical diagnosis of dilated cardiomyopathy were discovered in 26% of cases. It has been shown that endomyocardial biopsy is an important tool of diagnosis. In order to introduce it on a broader scale, it is necessary that quantitative uniform criteria for the diagnosis of endomyocardial diseases, primarily myocarditis, be elaborated.