A case of cardiac localization of graft-versus-host disease after allogenic bone marrow transplantation.

A 29-year-old male developed symptoms and signs of heart failure shortly after allogenic bone marrow transplantation for chronic myelogenous leukemia. Echocardiographic evaluation showed left ventricular wall thickening, a left ventricular restrictive filling pattern and pericardial effusion. Cardiac magnetic resonance revealed nodular areas compatible with lymphocyte infiltration. The hypothesis of cardiac graft-versus-host disease was supported by the reversibility of all the abnormalities after specific treatment.