Treatment of serious heart failure by transplantation in giant cell myocarditis diagnosed by endomyocardial biopsy.

We describe a 47-year-old man who had rapidly progressive heart failure caused by giant cell myocarditis with no response to steroid therapy. A successful heart transplantation was performed after life-threatening arrhythmias. The diagnosis was made by endomyocardial biopsy before transplantation, and it was confirmed by the histologic condition of the recipient heart. The patient has been on a triple-immunosuppression therapy with no signs of rejection or recurrence of giant cell myocarditis 23 months after surgery.