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To determine the risk of biopsy in different parts of heart and the artifacts of histomorphology, right heart endomyocardial biopsy in eight dogs were done. The result showed no tamponade occurred even 53 pieces of heart muscles were got from right ventricular free wall. In contrast, biopsies on right atrial free wall had higher risk in causing tamponade. It was confirmed by autopsy and histomorphology that endomyocardial biopsy could cause heart muscle damage. The artifacts caused by biopsy of normal beating heart muscle include: contraction bands (21.8%), widen of intracellular space (100%), interstitial edema (78%) and interstitial bleeding (53%). The results of the patients of right ventricular endomyocardial biopsy may provide practical value in the application of endomyocardial biopsy.

Comparison of thallium-201 image between 21 patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and 12 patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM) was made in this study. All cases had abnormal thallium images. Multiple myocardial segments presenting with patchy pattern were seen in all 21 patients with DCM. 75.0% of patients with ICM also had patchy pattern on the thallium image, but the number of patchy pattern segments on image was significantly less in ICM than in DCM (P less than 0.001); complete defects on thallium image were noted in 75.0% of patients with ICM, however, only one case with DCM had complete defect on thallium scan (P less than 0.001). When the thallium image characterized by multiple patchy pattern segments without complete defects was used as a diagnostic criterion for DCM. 95.2% of patients with DCM coincide with the criterion. When the thallium image showing complete defect was used as a diagnostic criterion for ICM, 75.0% of patients with ICM coincide with the criterion. The characteristics of thallium-201 image are useful either for diagnosis of DCM and ICM or in differentiating DCM from ICM.