ENDOMYOCARDIAL BIOPSY IN INFANTS AND CHILDREN

Transvascular endomyocardial biopsy is a diagnostic tool applicated rarely to infants and children. Based on the experience in 95 biopsied infants and children, various techniques and pathologic investigations are described. Because of the different course and spectrum of diseases the histologic changes are often less pronounced in children than in adults. Diagnostic changes are found in various storage and metabolic diseases and in endocardial fibroelastosis (11 % of our biopsies). Biopsy was helpful in patients with cardiomyopathy and myocarditis (75 % of our biopsies) and of no help in 14 %. By application of modern immunohistochemical methods and gene hybridization evidence can be further increased.