The value of repeated echocardiographic evaluation in patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy during treatment with metoprolol or captopril.

Serial echocardiographic investigations were carried out on patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy, to evaluate treatment effects on left ventricular (LV) performance during therapy with either metoprolol or captopril. Thirty-two patients (23 males and 9 females) with mild to moderate symptoms of heart failure (NYHA II-III) and a mean age of 49 years were included in the investigation. The patients were investigated with Doppler echocardiography before treatment, after 3 and 6 months of treatment (either metoprolol or captopril) and 1 month after withdrawal of treatment. Intra- and inter-investigator reproducibility was acceptable, with a coefficient of variation of less than 5% for LV dimensions. A reduction in LV dimensions was seen in both treatment groups. In the metoprolol group there was also an increase in LV stroke volume and fractional shortening. The non-invasive data were in accordance with invasive measurements of stroke volume and LV filling pressure. In patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy and mild to moderate symptoms of heart failure, echocardiography seemed to be sufficiently reproducible to be used for determination of treatment effects in a longitudinal heart failure study. Both metoprolol and captopril were well tolerated and had favourable effects on LV performance.