Heart damage associated with intracranial lesions.

Focal myocytolysis, a form of myocardial damage, has been found to occur in about 8% of patients dying of intracranial lesions. Electrocardiographic abnormalities in patients with brain damage may be due to this. The cause of focal myocytolysis remains unknown, but if it could be prevented it might avert the patient's death from cardiac arrest or arrhythmia. Moreover, more than a minimal degree of this type of damage to the heart might make it unsuitable for transplantation.