Left ventricular asynergy in acute myocarditis. Simulation of acute myocardial infarction.

Recent studies have demonstrated the usefulness of two-dimensional echocardiography in the detection of regional wall abnormalities in acute myocardial infarction. We describe two patients with acute myocarditis who had acute chest pain simulating acute myocardial infarction. Two-dimensional echocardiography initially demonstrated regional wall motion abnormalities that disappeared within a few days. These two cases illustrate that regional wall motion abnormalities are not specific for acute myocardial infarction and that acute myocarditis may simulate acute myocardial infarction.