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Heart Online First, published on November 13, 2015 as 10.1136/heartjnl-2015-307959
Review
Review
Review
than half of the patients with HES and cardiac pathology, pre- comprehensive evaluation to assess for presence and degree of
sented with dyspnoea; chest pain and cough were seen less organ involvement. This may dictate the urgency of other
often. In that same review, 75% of patients who were evaluated testing as well as potential aetiologies. Initial testing could
had signs and symptoms of heart failure.18 Arrhythmias may include some of the following: a complete blood count, serum
occur as a result of fibrosis of the conduction system or due to vitamin B12 levels, serum immunoglobulins, peripheral blood
the scarring of the myocardium. Myocardial infarctions are rare smear, serum chemistries, creatinine, liver function tests, chest
but can occur as the result of an embolic phenomenon from the X-ray, ECG, troponin level (which has been shown to correlate
left ventricular (LV) apex or outflow tract. Cardiac symptoms with the presence of cardiomyopathy25) and stool samples or
typically evolve over weeks to months but can be more pro- serology for parasites (for those from endemic areas or with a
longed than that.9 travel history). Assessing for organ involvement is important to
It is important to note that EM can occur separately for HES. establish the diagnosis of HES over HE alone. This evaluation
The aetiologies are varied and include malignancy, hypersensi- would include further testing with pulmonary function testing,
tivity myocarditis (HSM), parasitic infections and eosinophilic echocardiography, abdominal imaging (CT most commonly)
granulomatosis with polyangiitis (formerly referred to as and tissue biopsies as appropriate. As part of the haematological
Churg–Strauss). Pathologically, EM is characterised by myocar- assessment, peripheral blood screening would be undertaken
dial inflammation with eosinophils, often with associated and possibly bone marrow biopsy with tissue typing for the
eosinophilia, not necessarily HE, and is distinct in its presenta- characterisation of the aetiology of the HE. There are many var-
tion as it is often more acute than indolent.20 HSM is an auto- iants that would be screened for to assess for clonal aetiologies.
immune reaction in the heart, typically related to a drug One myeloproliferative variant (Fip1-like1-platelet-derived
reaction and can present as rapidly progressive heart failure or growth factor receptor α (FIP1L1-PDGFRA) fusion), which has
sudden death. Multiple drugs have been implicated and patients a poor prognosis, is characterised by elevated serum tryptase
frequently have fever, rash, ECG abnormalities and peripheral which is of importance from a treatment standpoint.25 This par-
eosinophilia. On myocardial biopsy, the pattern is one of inter- ticular cause of HES has an increased incidence of more pro-
stitial infiltrate with eosinophils but with minimal cell necrosis.21 found cardiac disturbances with greater mortality without
EMF can be a separate syndrome in which fibrosis typically at treatment.26
the apices of the left and/or right ventricles (RV), presents with Cardiac diagnosis is typically initially suspected based on signs
symptoms related to a restrictive cardiomyopathy (with left- and symptoms of cardiac dysfunction. ECG is typically non-
sided and right-sided heart failure).22 Although EMF resembles specific and can consist of T-wave inversions, left atrial enlarge-
the late stages of the cardiac involvement in HES, there is not a ment, LV hypertrophy, premature ventricular complexes or first
consistently identified serum or myocardial eosinophilia.23 degree atrioventricular block.18 These changes indicate some
Whether transient eosinophilia is the culprit is unclear. potential underlying cardiac abnormality but are not specific for
Infectious and/or environmental aetiologies have been HES. Echocardiography is a critical diagnostic tool in the evalu-
implicated.24 ation of cardiac disease in HES. During the initial stage of
cardiac involvement (necrotic stage of EM), echocardiography is
DIAGNOSIS typically normal, although wall thickening may be identified if
Per the definition for HES, there must a peripheral eosinophilia there is significant oedema within the myocardium due to the
(eosinophil count >1.5×109/L) or tissue HE (figure 1). This inflammatory process. In the thrombotic stage, thrombi can be
elevation in eosinophils must be present on two separate labora- identified within the apices of either the LV or RV or both
tory tests at least 1 month apart. A careful review of the indivi- (figure 2). The appearance can be mistaken for LV noncompac-
dual’s history for travel to determine parasitic exposure, tion, apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) or even
complete review of medication usage along with a thorough typical LV apical thrombus due to an apical wall motion abnor-
history and exam are important to determine causes for HE. mality. The use of contrast agents, to better define the apex, can
Even if asymptomatic, the patient with HE requires a help differentiate thrombi from apical HCM and noncompac-
tion and can also reveal the preserved systolic function at the
apex in HES that distinguishes it from an apical infarction with
Review
Figure 3 Transthoracic echo imaging: (A) (left) demonstrates an apical four-chamber view. Contrast echocardiography clear delineates thrombus
present at the left ventricular apex (white arrow points to black defect of thrombus). (B) Shows the corresponding parasternal short-axis view and
also highlights the benefit of contrast echocardiography at identifying thrombus (white arrow).
thrombus27 (figure 3). Three-dimensional echocardiography limited data on the use of myocardial strain imaging to assess sys-
may improve visualisation of the apices and identify thrombus tolic function in patients with EM but it may be helpful to differ-
in lieu of a contrast agent. The progression from thrombus to entiate a true restrictive cardiomyopathy from merely restrictive
fibrosis is not well identified specifically on echocardiography but filling.28
does have change in the clinical presentation (more heart failure Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging has emerged as a
symptoms vs embolic phenomena). The apices remain obliterated newer modality for the diagnosis of cardiac disease in HES.29–31
but now with fibrosis and less so with thrombus. It is at this stage CMR can detect ventricular thrombi with a higher degree of
that valvular regurgitation may be better identified. The posterior sensitivity and specificity than echocardiography and in addition
leaflet of the mitral valve can become thickened and adherent to contrast-enhanced CMR can identify inflammation and fibrosis
the underlying endocardium of the posterobasal wall, restricting (figures 6 and 7).31 32 Thus, CMR may be able to detect myo-
its motion. The mural thombofibrotic material between the pos- cardial abnormalities in the early stages of the cardiac involve-
terior mitral leaflet and posterobasal LV wall limit the excursion ment in HES (the acute myocarditis/necrotic stage) prior to
of that leaflet and ultimately tether it (figure 4 Significant mitral echocardiographic abnormalities. CMR can be an important
regurgitation can be seen and is typically posteriorly directly due adjuvant imaging tool that may be useful in following the
to the restricted motion of the posterior leaflet. In addition, a cardiac disease course.33 CT imaging has been described as a
restrictive cardiomyopathic picture emerges with characteristic potential tool as well to identify LV thrombus and concomi-
mitral valve Doppler indices of poor LV compliance and elevated tantly assess for coronary artery disease as a potential culprit for
filling pressures (figure 5). This restrictive physiology is typically the presence of apical thrombus.34
related to the endocardial/myocardial fibrosis that occurs; However, despite the importance of the noninvasive imaging
however these hemodynamics may be seen due to the small LV tools, endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) remains the gold standard
cavity caused by a large noncompliant apical ‘mass’.28 There is for the diagnosis of cardiac involvement in HES, particularly
Review
Figure 5 Shown is the characteristic mitral Doppler inflow pattern of a restrictive cardiomyopathy pattern (A, left). The mitral valve deceleration
time is 105 ms, with a peak early inflow velocity of 1.1 m/s. The mitral annular tissue Doppler (B, right) also demonstrates classic findings of a
restrictive cardiomyopathy with a markedly reduced early diastolic longitudinal relaxation velocity (0.04 m/s).
early in the course to differentiate EM from other forms of MANAGEMENT OF HES CARDIAC DISEASE
myocarditis. Serial EMB can be used to assess course and treat- HE has multiple potential treatment options, based on the aeti-
ment response. Infiltration of eosinophils into the myocardium ology. The management of cardiac disease in HES is to normal-
may be detected; however, more often fibrosis, mural throm- ise the damaging HE. Corticosteroids are one of the
bus and inflammation of intramural coronary vessels are cornerstones of therapy for HES to reduce eosinophil count and
detected.35 However, it must be recognised that EMB may be counteract inflammation.36 Patients with the FIP1L1-PDGFRA
negative if the process primarily involves the LV rather than mutation should be treated with a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (ima-
the RV.9 tinib) given its possible effectiveness37 along with steroids (with
Review
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These include:
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Notes