Serial technetium-99m radionuclide ventriculograms, indium-111 antimyosin antibody scans and tissue biodistribution studies were performed in C3H/He mice with experimentally induced viral encephalomyocarditis and the results were compared with pathologic assessments of myocardial necrosis. Postinfection ejection fraction decreased on days 10 (20.7 +/- 5.5%, n = 6), 20 (18.6 +/- 15.2%, n = 5), 30 (18.5 +/- 7.7%, n = 5) and 150 (30.0 +/- 18.7, n = 6) (p less than 0.001) in comparison with that in uninfected control mice (63.3 +/- 3.1%, n = 6). In the same group of animals, indium-111 antimyosin antibody scans showed intense positive myocardial accumulation on day 10 (in six of six mice) and only slight accumulation on day 20 (in one of five mice). In the chronic stage, two of five mice on day 30 and two of six mice on day 150 still showed positive uptake. The antimyosin scan myocardium to lung uptake ratio (expressed as mean count density [mean counts/pixel of the region] ratio) increased greatly on day 10 (p less than 0.001 versus values in uninfected control mice) but not subsequently. Biodistribution studies of the indium-111 antimyosin antibody showed that the heart to blood count ratio was significantly higher on day 10 (p less than 0.001 versus values in control mice) but not on days 20, 30 and 150. Pathologic examination showed active and ongoing severe myocardial necrosis with dilated ventricles on day 10. On day 20, there was less active necrosis and healing had appeared to begin. On days 30 and 150, myocardial fibrosis increased.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)