Echocardiographic assessment of schizophrenics and manics: a reexamination of early necropsy findings.

Postmortem evaluation of schizophrenic patients earlier this century demonstrated relatively consistent findings of hypoplasia of the heart and great vessels. No recent attempts have been made, to our knowledge, to replicate these results. In vivo assessment of the left heart and aorta by M-mode echocardiographic examination seemed likely to provide an opportunity to investigate the relationship of major psychiatric illness to heart size and aortic diameter. Twenty-two chronic schizophrenics (mean age 31.5 years), 17 manics (mean age 30.9 years), and 14 normal volunteers (mean age 29.1 years) consented to echocardiographic examination. Patients were diagnosed by DSM-III criteria. Individuals with any history of cardiovascular disease or alcohol abuse were excluded. No statistically significant differences emerged among the groups in measures of left atrial, aortic root, or end-diastolic left ventricular diameters. Our results did not support previously reported autopsy findings. Implications of the relationship of chronic institutionalization and chronic neuroleptic treatment to heart and great vessel dimensions are discussed.