[Endomyocardial fibrosis]

Abstract

Since the first case of endocardial resection I have performed in 1971, many similar cases have been operated on in the world, principally in Equatorian areas such as Africa, Northeastern Brazil and Southern India. In caucasian race, cases are less frequent but are similar to the other ones: in fact, endomyocardial fibrosis which was described by Davies in 1948 in Africa and Löffler's fibroplastie endocarditis, associated with hypereosinophylia (1936) are similar and respond to the same treatment. Our purpose in this paper is to present the long term results of the 34 cases operated at the Broussais Hospital in Paris since 1971. There were 21 males and 13 females, mean age 32 years (8 to 64), 22 were caucasians, 12 black africans. The sites of resection were 8 right ventricular, 4 left and 22 biventricular. Valve replacement was monovalvular in 11 cases and bivalvular in 23, mainly with bioprostheses. There were 7 early deaths and 6 late deaths, 2 after 30 months and 4 after 45, 60, 84, 85 months; only 2 of them were due to cardiac causes. We have not observed any case of recurrence. All surviving patients were in class I/II of N.Y.H.A. despite the fact that 4 have had valvular replacement due to alteration of the bioprosthesis.