[Myocardiopathy of progressive muscular dystrophy]

The authors have effected a clinical, radiological, electrocardiographic and apexocardiographic survey in 13 patients with progressive muscular distrophy (PMD) and in 6 healthy subjects belonging to families affected by the disease, in parallel with a group of 11 patients with severe myasthenia and 23 healthy subjects. Comparing the results with those found in the literature lead to the following results: 1) The ECG modifications and above all the abnormalities of the ventricular complex develop precociously in the PMD and express the pleiotropism of the myopathic gene. 2) The myocardial dyssynergia represents a link in the physiopathological chain of the cardiac distress. 3) The precociousness of electro and apexocardiographic modifications and their presence in healthy parents recommend these investigations in the genetic enquiry. 4) Clinical, histological and haemodynamic data individualize the myocardial distress as a true myocardiopathy.