| Abstract: | To study the morphofunctional state of the heart, 49 children aged 1 to 15 years with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCMP) were examined. The diagnosis was established on the basis of comprehensive clinical and instrumental examinations. It was discovered as a result of echocardiography that children with dilated cardiomyopathy show considerable dilatation of the cardiac chambers, accompanied by moderate hypertrophy of the myocardium (mainly of the left ventricle) and by appreciable impairment of the function of myocardial contraction and relaxation together with derangement of heart pump function. The overwhelming majority of patients with DCMP manifested relative failure of the mitral valve which plays an important role in the impairment of intracardiac and central hemodynamics. It should be noted that echographic alterations seen in DCMP are not specific. However, they provide an idea of the gravity of heart damage, that is of importance in outlining the policy of treatment and prophylactic measures. |
