Myocyte diameter and fractional area of collagen are not associated with survival time of outpatients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy: a study based on right ventricular endomyocardial biopsies.

Morphometric data obtained from the analysis of endomyocardial biopsy might be useful to evaluate prognosis of patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. We measured the myocyte diameter, its coefficient of variation and the fractional area of collagen in right ventricular endomyocardial biopsies of 35 outpatients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. None of the evaluated histological parameter was associated with the survival time of the patients (range: 2 to 5588; median: 706 days). Right ventricular endomyocardial biopsy should not be indicated to predict evolution or fatal outcome in patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy.