[Pathomorphologic data in the differential diagnosis of dilated cardiomyopathy]

A study of 50 hearts from patients who died of dilated cardiomyopathy and 16 control cases is presented. It included evaluation of the character of hypertrophy and dilatation, state of the volume and ventricular cavities as well as the interventricular septum, changes of the coronary system and blood microcirculatory bed of the heart. Methods used were: postmortal contrast cardioventriculography and coronarography, intravascular impregnation and impregnation of frozen sections of the myocardium with silver nitrate. The authors singled out a triad of signs possessing a high degree of pathognomonicity and including pronounced dilatational manifestation on the part of the cardiac ventricles, coronary arteries and blood circulatory bed.