PURPOSE: To evaluate the association between the indeterminate form of Chagas' disease and abnormalities in non-invasive cardiovascular propedeutics. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty-two patients in the indeterminate form of Chagas' disease, 17 female, with ages between 25 and 50 years were submitted to studies of: vectorcardiography, echocardiography, stress test, dynamic electrocardiography and scintigraphic studies (scintigraphic ventriculography and cardiac mapping with pyrophosphate of technetium), in a period of two months after first consultation. RESULTS: The analysis shows the percentual of altered exams: vectorcardiogram--68.2% (conduction disturbance--22.7%); echocardiogram--15.8% (apical hypokinesia); cardiac mapping 61.8%; scintigraphic ventriculography--68.2%; stress test--72.2% (reduced delta PS--50%, ventricular arrhythmia--50%); and dynamic electrocardiographic--50% (ventricular arrhythmias). We could observe also that the great majority of the patients has more than three exams altered (63.6%). The study of relation between methods, shows only association between reduced delta PS and ventricular arrhythmia, with concordant results in 72.7%. CONCLUSION: Indeterminate form of Chagas' disease appears to be a really chronic form, may be of attenuate aggressive potential, with indeterminate evolution and with polymorphic clinical exteriorization seeing only through invasive and non invasive propedeutic techniques.
PURPOSE: To evaluate the association between the indeterminate form of Chagas' disease and abnormalities in non-invasive cardiovascular propedeutics. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty-two patients in the indeterminate form of Chagas' disease, 17 female, with ages between 25 and 50 years were submitted to studies of: vectorcardiography, echocardiography, stress test, dynamic electrocardiography and scintigraphic studies (scintigraphic ventriculography and cardiac mapping with pyrophosphate of technetium), in a period of two months after first consultation. RESULTS: The analysis shows the percentual of altered exams: vectorcardiogram--68.2% (conduction disturbance--22.7%); echocardiogram--15.8% (apical hypokinesia); cardiac mapping 61.8%; scintigraphic ventriculography--68.2%; stress test--72.2% (reduced delta PS--50%, ventricular arrhythmia--50%); and dynamic electrocardiographic--50% (ventricular arrhythmias). We could observe also that the great majority of the patients has more than three exams altered (63.6%). The study of relation between methods, shows only association between reduced delta PS and ventricular arrhythmia, with concordant results in 72.7%. CONCLUSION: Indeterminate form of Chagas' disease appears to be a really chronic form, may be of attenuate aggressive potential, with indeterminate evolution and with polymorphic clinical exteriorization seeing only through invasive and non invasive propedeutic techniques.