Results of 606 equilibrium radionuclide ventriculographies (ERNV) performed in 348 non-selected patients receiving Adriamycin (ADM) therapy were stored in a data base system. The aim of the study was to assess the influence of a potential cardiotoxic therapy on left ventricular pump function. Increasing ADM doses yielded a significant (p <0.05) decrease of the resting ejection fraction (R-gEF), the peak ejection rate and the peak filling rate. Enddiastolic and endsystolic volumes increased significantly. Stroke volume, heart rate and time to peak filling rate did not change significantly. 368 follow-up studies were performed in 128 patients: 65/128 patients presented a decrease of R-gEF, but only in 45 of these patients R-gEF values fell into the pathologic range. In 44 of these follow-ups, R-gEF remained unchanged. In 19 patients, a R-gEF increase was observed. At the beginning of ADM therapy 14% of the patients had subnormal R-gEF values. With increasing ADM doses pathologic findings increased to 86% in patients with ADM doses higher than 500 mg/m2.
