[Cardiomyopathy in Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Part 2: serum enzymes, vector-cardiography, and echo-cardiography in 143 patients (author's transl)].

To diagnose a possible latent or manifested cardiomyopathy, 143 male patients between 2 and 21 years of age with confirmed Duchenne muscular dystrophy were examined for serum enzymes, by electrocardiography, vector-cardiography, and echo-cardiography. The results contain information on 1. the quantitative cellular myocardial degeneration process, 2. the disturbed cellular depolarization and nerve-conduction processes in the area of the right and left ventricular myocard, and 3. the disturbed left ventricular function which, in the initial state, is only documented by a discrete decrease of contractility caused by a manifested decreased ejection output. The pathological contraction and relaxation process of the heart muscle cell and its dependency on calcium ion transport as pathogenic background is discussed.