Right ventricular function in Chagas disease.

To study right ventricular function, we performed cardiac catheterization, and right and left cineventriculograms in 60 chagasic patients and 15 non-chagasic, non-heart disease patients. Chagasic patients with normal electrocardiograms and left cineventriculograms also had normal right ventricular function. Nine of 14 chagasic patients with normal Ecg's and early left ventricular damage had right ventricular dilatation and/or segmental inferior-apical asynergy. Fourteen of 19 chagasic patients with abnormal Ecg's and advanced left ventricular damage, but without signs of congestive heart failure, and all chagasic patients with congestive heart failure, had marked right ventricular dilatation, severe right contractility depression and abnormal right apical or para-apical motion. These findings indicate that Chagas disease is a diffuse cardiomyopathy in which the left ventricle seems to be affected earlier and to a greater extent than the right ventricle. Since segmental abnormalities were predominantly observed in apical and para-apical areas of the ventricles, performance of right and left cineventriculograms is recommended before implantation of cardiac pacemakers.