Abstract
Endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) is the gold standard for the diagnosis of myocarditis. Patients with clinical presentation consistent with myocarditis and acute heart failure should undergo EMB, in particular to exclude giant- cell myocarditis or necrotizing eosinophilic myocarditis that are life-threatening conditions. The indication for EMB is debatable in case of suspected myocarditis with infarct-like presentation and preserved left ventricular ejection fraction. In fact, in this group of patients the prognosis is fairly good, and the clinical advantage to reach a histological diagnosis by means of an invasive procedure with potential complications such as EMB is limited. In this article we discuss the indication for EMB in the light of current guidelines based on existing consensus documents.
Translated title of the contribution | Endomyocardial biopsy in acute myocarditis: For some but not for all patients |
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Original language | Italian |
Pages (from-to) | 539-543 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Giornale Italiano di Cardiologia |
Volume | 16 |
Issue number | 10 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Oct 1 2015 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine
- Medicine(all)