Histopathological improvement of acromegalic cardiomyopathy by intermittent subcutaneous infusion of octreotide.

We studied functional and histopathological changes in acromegalic cardiomyopathy following intermittent subcutaneous infusion of octreotide. A 68-year-old female patient with acromegaly associated with congestive heart failure due to dilated cardiomyopathy was initially treated with cardioactive medication for three months, but it was not effective in correcting echocardiographic abnormalities. Further treatment with intermittent subcutaneous infusion of octreotide (20 microg/2 h) for 12 months not only reduced circulating GH and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) levels but also considerably improved histopathological changes in the myocardial specimen biopsied. These findings provide the first evidence of the favorable effect of octreotide on histopathological changes in acromegalic cardiomyopathy.