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Previous Volume 353:97-98 July 7, 2005 Number 1 Next

	Since this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100 words of the full text and any section headings.

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To the Editor: In the report by Leeper et al. (April 7 issue),¹ the endomyocardial-biopsy specimen in their Figures 2 and 3 shows chronic changes, including extensive fibrosis, as stated by the authors, but it does not support a diagnosis of myocarditis.

The most widely accepted histologic criteria for the diagnosis of active myocarditis² require the presence of an inflammatory infiltrate and associated myocyte damage (Figure 1). Myocardial changes, including myocyte hypertrophy, degeneration, and varying degrees of myocardial fibrosis, are typical of a chronic process, such as idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy.³ The occasional presence of lymphocytes may be associated . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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