Abstract
Cardiomyopathy is defined as primary myocardial dysfunction which is not due to hypertensive, valvular, congenital, coronary or pulmonary vascular disease. This term usually denotes a dismal prognosis short of cardiac transplantation. However, several organic diseases of the heart can result in right or left ventricular dysfunction resulting in congestive heart failure and prompting the physician to label them as cardiomyopathy; the etiological factor is overlooked as it produces very subtle features. Therefore, before labelling any child as cardiomyopathic, all possible causes of ventricular dysfunction must be excluded by clinical and investigative means. The causes of “treatable cardiomyopathy” include mechanical factors as critical aortic stenosis and pulmonic stenosis, severe coarctation of aorta in an infant and aortaarteritis is an older child. Some of the persistent arrhythmias like atrial tachycardia, fibrillation, paroxysmal junctional re-entrant tachycardia are also known for causing ventricular dysfunction producing tachycardiomyopathy. Treatment of arrhythmia improves the ventricular function. Myocardial ischemia as a result of congenital coronary anomaly (commonest being anomalous origin of left coronary artery from pulmonary artery) can also present with a cardiomyopathy like picture. Early surgical correction is very rewarding. Finally, some of the metabolic conditions like creatinine and thiamine deficiency can also produce ventricular dilatation and dysfunction. In conclusion, the so called cardiomyopathy like picture can be produced because of several reasons and an attempt must be made to identify them.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Towbin JA. Primary myocardial disease.Pediatr Cardiol PCNA 1999; 46(2): 249–318.
Lewis AB, Chabot M. Outcome of infants and children with dilated cardiomyopathy.Am J Cardiol 1991; 68: 365–369.
Wiles HB, McArthur PD, Tayior ABet al. Prognostic features of children with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy.Am J Cardiol 1991; 68: 1372–1381.
Dalvi BV, Shah P, Narula Det al. Interventional cardiac catheterisation in neonates and infants.IHJ 1996; 48(5): 476.
Kothari SS, Mishra S, Juneja R, Reddy SC, Saxsena A. Aortic valve balloon dilation in infancy with critical stenosis.IHJ 1998; 50(5): 520–522.
Cohn HE, Fred MD, Hellenbrad Wet al. Complications and mortality associated with cardiac catheterisation in infants under one year: a prospective study.Pediatr Cardiol 1985; 6: 123–131.
Danaraj TJ, Wong HO, Thomas MA. Primary arteritis of the aorta causing renal artery stenosis and hypertension.Br Heart J 1963; 25: 153–155.
De Giovanni JV, Dindar A, Griffith MJet al. Recovery pattern of left ventricular dysfunction following radiofrequency ablation of incessant supraventricular tachycardia in infants and children.Heart 1998; 79(6): 588–592.
Fananapazir L, Epstein ND, Curiel RVet al. Long-term results of dual-chamber pacing in obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Evidence for progressive symptomatic and hemodynamic improvement and reduction of left ventricular hypertrophy.Circulation 1994; 90: 2731–2735.
Sanders SP, Parness IA, Colan SD. Recognition of abnormal connections of coronary arteries with the use Doppler colour flow mapping.J Am Coll Cardiol 1989; 13: 922–926.
Takeuchi S, Imamura H, Katsumoto Ket al. New surgical method for repair of anomalous left coronary artery from pulmonary artery.J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 1979; 78: 7–11.
Shackleford PG, Strauss AW. Kawasaki syndromeN Engl J Med 1991; 324: 1664–1666.
Mavroudis C, Backer CL, Muster A. Expanding indication for pediatric coronary bypass.J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 1996; 111(1): 181–189.
Angelini C, Brown WJet al. Systemic carnitine deficiency-a treatable inherited lipid-storage disease presenting as Reye’s syndrome.N Engl J Med 1980; 303(24): 1389–1394.
Lubani MM, al-Shab TS, al-Saleh QAet al. Vitamin-D-deficiency rickets in Kuwait: the prevalence of a preventable disease.Ann Trop Paediatr 1989; 9(3): 123–139.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Prabhu, S.S., Dalvi, B.V. Treatable cardiomyopathies. Indian J Pediatr 67, 279–282 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02758172
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02758172