Scintigraphy is an isotope examination which can show the function of a certain organ. The principle is that a radioactive drug is administered to a patient, then scans are taken and according to the accumulation of the radioactive d…
Endomyocardial biopsy (EMB)
Endomyocardial biopsy is an examination, when “tongs” are inserted into the patient´s heart through the vessel system. They are inserted into the right or left heart ventricle and then four or five very little pieces of heart tissue are collected….
Lab testing
Lab testing is in the case of myocarditis focused on the detection of biomarkers of heart muscle damage and the intensity of any inflammatory processes. Laboratory results along with imaging methods provide valuable information for d…
X-Ray
X-ray is maybe the oldest and best known imaging method in medicine. The essence of this examination is based on the fact that a certain part of patient´s body is “lit up” by X-ray. X-ray is absorbed less by tender tissues (like for example the lungs…
Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI)
This is an imaging method, which uses magnetic characteristics of an atom´s nucleus, specifically protons (positively charged parts of the atom´s nucleus). Normally, the axes of these protons are turned in different directions. Durin…
Echocardiography (ECHO)
ECHO is, together with ECG, one of the basic examinations in cardiology. The characteristics of ultrasound (sound of very high frequency over 20 000 Hz, which is not detected by human ears) are used in this method. During an ECHO exa…
Physical examination
A physical examination is performed by a physician immediately after when a patient arrives at the doctor´s office. It could have different results at myocarditis. It is not unusual that the results are normal or atypical. Sometimes myocarditis can p…
Definition of myocarditis
Definiton
Myocarditis is an inflammatory disease of the heart muscle (myocardium). Inflammation is to be found either just on a few places of the myocardium (so called nidus) and in the entire heart muscle (so call diffusion inflamm…