This historical autopsy study differentiates inflammatory myocarditis from noninflammatory degenerative myocardosis and explores their clinical correlates.
Search of 3,141 autopsies found 108 examples of myocardial disease of which 77 were inflammatory (nonrheumatic) and 31 noninflammatory but degenerative and not due to sclerosis or hypertension. These are designated myocardosis. Myocarditis was associated with infections in a manner often described; myocardosis was associated with a variety of noninfectious disorders. A discussion of the use of this term is elaborated. Clinical records also were studied to find what part such lesions played in causing death and how such myocardial lesions could be diagnosed with more certainty.
BLANKENHORN et al. (1956) studied this question.