[The clinico-echocardiographic signs of rheumocarditis in acute rheumatism in adults and their dynamics under the influence of antirheumatic therapy].

Of 45 patients with acute rheumatic fever 23 manifested enlargement of the left ventricle. Of these, 14 patients had it combined with an increase in the stroke volume, the syndrome of load with the left ventricular volume. These alterations disappeared or lessened by the end of the treatment. They did not correlate with lesions of the valvular apparatus and were likely to be consequent to the underlying inflammatory process. In patients with the syndrome of load with the left ventricular volume, myocardial contractility was, as a rule, increased or normal, indicating that myocardial contractility remained at a satisfactory level at the initial disease period. Comparative studies of the therapeutic effect of corticosteroids and nonsteroidal drugs (indomethacin and voltaren) have demonstrated that they exert a similar effect on the clinicofunctional signs of rheumatic carditis.