Familial dilated cardiomyopathy: clinical features in French families

The aims of the study were to analyze the clinical features, the penetrance and the mode of inheritance of 13 French families with dilated cardiomyopathy using diagnostic criteria recently established by a European collaboration. Methods: .Screening consisted of physical examination, ECG and Echo of all the probands ®rst degree relatives ns118. Using major w . .Echo criteria ejection fraction EF-45 % or FS-25 % and left ventricular diameter LVD)117 % of the predictive x .value, or combined minor EchorECG criteria, relatives were classi®ed as affected, unknown or healthy. Results: 1 Adult .affected relatives ns31 were identi®ed with major Echo criteria in 74 % of cases, and with combined minor EchorECG . .criteria in 26 % of cases. 2 In the unknown relatives ns21, the most common abnormality was an isolated left ventricula