A family with congestive cardiomyopathy

Abstract

In this family with congestive cardiomyopathy the lesion, a characteristic interstitial fibrosis with a high elastic tissue content, was defined at autopsy in 3 cases, and 3 further members may have been affected. The cases defined at autopsy all had long-standing arrhythmia and had suffered a cerebrovascular accident, probably secondary to endocardial fibroelastosis. The possibility that the myocardial cell changes may have been secondary to those in the interstitium is discussed. Ultrastructural X band changes were demonstrated 5 1/2 and 26 h postmortem.