[Echocardiographic study of the left ventricle function in heroin dependence]

The left ventricular function has been examined in 20 drug addicts with echo-Doppler and echocardiographic methods. The results obtained demonstrate that, in a certain percentage of drug addicts, there is, in comparison to controls, a subclinical alteration of the ejection fraction and the circumferential shortening velocity; on the contrary, alterations of cardiac output are not observed.