[Classification of myocardial dystrophies in aviation medical certification]

Myocardial dystrophy is one of the most common noncoronary lesions of the myocardium in pilots. However, the abundance of proposed classifications of myocardial dystrophies poses certain problems to medical experts. The authors attempt to consider the existing classifications from the standpoint of aviation medical certification and advocate the most acceptable, to their thinking, systematics by N.P. Paleev and L.I.Levitina (1991). Examples of establishing diagnoses of myocardial dystrophy are included. The best suited program for the aviation medical certification board to work out the final statement regarding the occupational fitness of pilots with myocardial dystrophy is proposed.