Tropical endomyocardial fibrosis (Davies' disease): case report demonstrating the role of magnetic resonance imaging.

Abstract

Tropical endomyocardial fibrosis (TEMF), a restrictive cardiomyopathy of unclear etiology, is an endemic disease in equatorial Africa, South America and India. The patients are usually young, the onset of the disease and its clinical manifestations insidious, and the prognosis poor. We currently present a 50-year-old Congolese female who was referred with symptoms of progressive right-sided heart failure due to isolated TEMF of the right ventricle. Surgical resection of regional endomyocardial fibrosis was not possible and our patient was referred for cardiac transplantation. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) demonstrated the primary and secondary structural and functional abnormalities. CMR seems ideally suited to diagnose this condition and monitor response to medical and/or surgical therapy.

• Authors: Jan P Smedema, Stephan K G Winckels, Gabriel Snoep, Jindra Vainer, Sebastiaan C A M Bekkers, Harry J G M Crijns
• Journal: The international journal of cardiovascular imaging (Int J Cardiovasc Imaging) Vol. 20 Issue 6 Pg. 517-22 (Dec 2004) ISSN: 1569-5794 [Print] United States
• PMID: 15856635 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article)

Topics

• Cardiac Output, Low (diagnosis)
• Endemic Diseases
• Endomyocardial Fibrosis (diagnosis)
• Female
• Heart Atria (pathology)
• Heart Diseases (diagnosis)
• Heart Ventricles (pathology)
• Humans
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (methods)
• Middle Aged
• Thrombosis (diagnosis)
• Tropical Climate