Challenges in diagnosis of cardiac sarcoidosis-an observational study from tertiary care center in north India

This retrospective observational study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital to assess the challenges involved in the diagnosis of cardiac sarcoidosis. The study included a total of 42 patients with primary cardiac manifestation of sarcoidosis and imaging evidence of patchy myocardial inflammation. Ventricular tachycardia(20) was the most common cardiac manifestation, followed by heart failure(12) and complete heart block(10). Histopathological evidence of sarcoidosis was found only in 12 patients (one endocardial biopsy, 11 extracardiac source). We could not find evidence of extracardiac involvement in the majority of patients. As the diagnostic criteria mainly stress upon the evidence of extracardiac sarcoidosis, diagnosis remains uncertain in many patients.