Diagnosis of cardiac sarcoidosis and follow-up of 24 consecutive patients

Cardiac sarcoidosis is responsible for 50% of deaths which mainly occur by ventricular arrhythmia or conduction disorders. The aim of this study is to determine the value of cardiac explorations for an early diagnosis of these localizations, which are often underestimated and can cause sudden death. We prospectively studied 24 consecutive patients, aged 33 +/-10 years, presenting with a sarcoidosis. Nine (38%) were asymptomatic and had no treatment. Fifteen (62%) were symptomatic: two (8%) had only pulmonary lesions and 13 (54%) had a polyvisceral disease. Seven (30%) were treated. Thirteen (54%) had an elevation of the disease activity markers. The patients had a 12-lead ECG, an echocardiography (TTE), a Holter ECG and a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) at inclusion. Realization rate was: 100% ECG (24), 83% TTE (20), 75% Holter ECG (18) and 62% MRI (15). Only two patients (8%) had a cardiac involvement. The first one had a polyvisceral sarcoidosis presenting with a hypokinetic cardiomyopathy and a complete AV block and the second one presented with a complete AV block which revealed sarcoidosis. Both patients had a MRI septal hypersignal and disease activity markers. They were treated with cardiac stimulation and corticotherapy: the first patient died suddenly, the second one remains asymptomatic after a 14 months follow-up. The 22 patients (92%) with normal explorations did not present any cardiac involvement during the follow-up (3.7 +/-1.6 years). This study confirms the rarity of cardiac involvement in sarcoidosis. An exhaustive cardiac check-up does not seem very productive even for patients presenting with polyvisceral disease or an elevation of disease markers. A systematic 12-lead ECG seems to be the most useful and simple tool for the early diagnosis of cardiac sarcoidosis. The other explorations will be realized according to clinical data. The absence of abnormal findings seems to have a good negative predictive value allowing to rule out a cardiac problem.