Reversibility of alcoholic cardiomyopathy.

A patient with alcoholic cardiomyopathy is described in whom cardiovascular function capacity and radiological heart size fluctuated widely with periods of heavy drinking and abstinence. On two occasions, cessation of drinking resulted in clinical recovery from severe degrees of congestive failure and in complete reversal of cardiac enlargement. Echocardiographic follow-up showed, however, that the true rapidity of myocardial recovery was much slower than estimated clinically and radiologically and than suggested by the previous reports.