Dilated cardiomyopathy overview
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Diagnosis |
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor-in-Chief: Sachin Shah, M.D.
Overview
Dilated cardiomyopathy is a condition of the heart that causes dilation and impaired contraction of the left ventricle (or both ventricles). Impaired contraction is defined as a low ejection fraction (< 40%).
Causes
There are many causes of dilated cardiomyopathy. The most common cause is idiopathic in 50% of cases. The next most common cause is myocarditis in 10% of cases.
Diagnosis
Laboratory Findings
Endomyocardial biopsy has low sensitivy and the findings are also notoriously non-specific. The findings on biopsy usually involve findings of inflammation and specific pathogens are unlikely to be identified. There may be an increased yield to using MRI to target endomyocardial biopsy. Viral titiers (serologies) are often unhelpful and not routinely ordered in clinical practice.