Echocardiographic assessment of left ventricular wall motion in myocarditis.

Segmental wall motion abnormalities are common in patients with myocarditis. Left ventricular (LV) regional wall motion was assessed in six patients with myocarditis by two-dimensional echocardiography. Some of our patients demonstrated regional thinning of the wall, similar to myocardial infarction. Therefore, segmental wall motion abnormalities with or without regional wall thinning detected by two-dimensional echocardiography cannot be used to differentiate myocarditis from coronary artery disease. Nevertheless, echocardiography can be performed repeatedly and is useful for evaluating the severity of myocarditis by assessing LV regional wall motion abnormalities, changes in LV wall thickness and cardiac pump function during the course of the disease.