[Cardiac sarcoidosis: diagnostics, treatment and follow-up].

Sarcoidosis is a generalised granulomatous disorder of unknown aetiology. Cardiac involvement may affect conduction system, myocardium, valvular apparatus and pericardium. Clinical spectrum ranges from asymptomatic involvement to sudden cardiac death. Patients with biopsy-proven extracardiac sarcoidosis should be screened for cardiac involvement (standard ECG, 24-hour Holter ECG, echocardiography) and in case of any abnormalities found on these tests, more advanced diagnostic methods should be used. Steroid treatment is still the mainstay of therapy in cardiac sarcoidosis. Several immunosuppresive agents are also effective and used in different combinations with steroids, as well as heart failure treatment (including ACE inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, beta-blockers and diuretics). Advanced heart block requires pacemaker implantation, and implantable cardioverterdefibrillator is an effective treatment in primary and secondary prophylaxis of sudden cardiac death. Heart transplantation is considered in advanced, drug-resistant heart failure or incessant ventricular arrhythmias unresponsive to other forms of therapy.