Rosa Gouveia

Epicardial radiofrequency applications: in vitro and in vivo studies on human atrial myocardium

OBJECTIVES To obtain a better understanding of tissue damage induced in human atria by epicardial radiofrequency ablation and its correlation with intra-tissue temperatures measured sub-epicardially and sub-endocardially. METHODS Radiofrequency (RF) currents were delivered to human atrial tissues using experimental set-ups to simulate surgical RF epicardial ablation at 80, 85 and 90 degrees C. Sub-endocardial and sub-epicardial temperatures were measured with thermocouples during the ablations. Twelve samples from in vitro epicardial ablations were histologically assessed. Localized RF epicardial ablations at same temperatures were performed on 38 mitral patients with concomitant atrial fibrillation (AF) before full cardiopulmonary bypass and samples histologically assessed. All patients had endocardial RF ablation at 70 degrees C to treat AF. RESULTS In vitro Sub-endocardial temperatures were lower than 50 degrees C except on thin atria (approximately 2-3 mm) in ablations at 80 and 85 degrees C and on thicker atria (approximately 5 mm) in ablations at 90 degrees C. Lesions measured 0.85-1.98 mm, all showed epicardial and myocardial damage but none were transmural. Mitral patients: Lesions measured 0.38-3.25 mm and 13/25 induced at 70 degrees C, 2/8 at 80 degrees C, 1/4 at 85 degrees C and 0/1 at 90 degrees C were confined to the epicardium leaving the myocardium undamaged. The remaining had damage of the epicardium and of variable portions of the myocardium, and three were transmural. CONCLUSIONS The application temperature and the intra-tissue temperature are not the sole factors that determine lesion depth. The thickness and the composition of the epicardium and of the myocardium are major determinants in the formation of the lesion.

Comparison of the Healing Mechanisms of Myocardial Lesions Induced by Dry Radiofrequency and Microwave Epicardial Ablation

Background: Histological assessment of the evolution of lesions induced on a pigs left atrium by microwave (MW) epicardial applications and comparison with dry radiofrequency (RF) lesions.

Symptomatic charcoal heart

A 47-year-old woman with a past history of left choroidal malignant melanoma submitted to eye enucleation 13 years before presented to the emergency department because of pleuritic chest pain, shortness of breath, and tiredness. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed pericardial thickening and multiple confluent hypoechoic nodular images, extending into …

Lipomatous hypertrophy of the interatrial septum: report of two cases where histological examination and surgical intervention were unavoidable.

Lipomatous hypertrophy of the interatrial septum (LHIS) is an increasingly recognized heart condition characterized by fatty deposits in the interatrial septum with sparing of the fossa ovalis. Its distinctive characteristic features by imaging techniques, benign nature, and the fact that most patients remain asymptomatic, has limited the need for histological confirmation and operative intervention in most cases. In this report, we describe two cases of LHIS where cardiac surgical intervention was indispensable: in the first patient, due to the presence of an additional left atrial tumour found out as mixoma and in the second, to relief a superior vena cava obstruction together with bypass grafts for severe coronary artery disease. Histological samples of the interatrial septal lesion were obtained in both cases either because of uncertainty of the diagnosis (Case 1) or to confirm the diagnosis (Case 2).

Understanding cardiac myxoma recurrence: A case report

Recurrence of cardiac myxoma is a rare condition, observed in about 3% of patients in sporadic cases, although it is more frequent in familial ones. Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain such recurrence, and the importance of increased vascularization as a facilitating feature is the subject of debate. The authors report the case of a non-familial right atrial myxoma, unusual for both its histopathology and recurrence.

Eosinophilic myocarditis with left ventricular apical aneurysm.

A previously healthy 27-year-old male patient from Sao Tome and Principe presented with severe oppressive, precordial pain, refractory to medical therapy, and was evacuated to our institution 4 months after presentation. An ECG showed deep, inverted T-waves on inferior and lateral leads. The eosinophil count was elevated (800 cells/μL), without leucocytosis, and the cardiac troponin I was …

Surgical pathology of subaortic septal myectomy: histology skips over clinical diagnosis

BACKGROUND Subaortic septal myectomy is usually performed to mitigate obstruction in patients with the obstructive form of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) or in those with congenital subaortic stenosis. Moreover, it is combined with aortic valve replacement in patients with severe aortic valve stenosis (SAS) and asymmetrical septal hypertrophy causing concomitant left ventricular outflow tract obstruction. When both conditions coexist, it is conceptually difficult to identify a cardiomyopathy beyond an adaptive myocardial hypertrophy, strictly related to pressure overload. Myectomy histopathology might be useful to enlighten the cause of the obstruction and establish the diagnosis. AIM The aim was to describe the pathological findings of surgical septal myectomy specimens obtained from a group of patients with diverse clinical diagnosis, including HCM, severe aortic stenosis, and asymmetrical septal hypertrophy. METHODS This was a retrospective study of 56 patients undergoing septal myectomy along a 10-year period at a tertiary cardiac surgical center. Clinical, interventional, and anatomopathological findings between patients with and without a preoperative diagnosis of HCM were analyzed and compared. RESULTS Mean age at intervention was 67.5±20.5 years; 37 (66.1%) were female Preoperative diagnosis of sarcomeric obstructive HCM was assumed in 23 (41.1%) patients. All the other patients (58.9%) were referred for surgery with preoperative diagnosis of asymmetric septal hypertrophy, mainly in the context of severe aortic stenosis (24 patients). Twenty-seven (48.2%) patients had a greater than 30 mmHg intraventricular gradient at rest. Patients with presumed HCM were significantly younger (56.5±15.8 vs. 70.2±13.3 years, P<.001), had higher prevalence of significant intraventricular obstruction at rest [20 (87.0%) vs. 8 (34.8%), P<.001], and more frequently had moderate or severe mitral regurgitation [9 (39.1%) vs. 5(15.1%), P=.043]. All patients with aortic valve stenosis underwent both aortic valve replacement and septal myectomy. Twelve (52.1%) of the patients with obstructive HCM had isolated septal myectomy, while in the remaining 11, the procedure was combined with intervention on the mitral valve. Histopathological final diagnosis was of nonspecific reactive myocardial hypertrophy in all but 4 (92.2%) patients. In those, 2 (3.6%) had the final diagnosis of HCM and 2 (3.6%) the diagnosis of congenital subaortic membranous stenosis with reactive myocardial hypertrophy. Different grades of subendocardial fibroelastosis and myocardial fibrosis, mainly interstitial, were present [27 (48.2%) and 18 (32%) patients, respectively]. When microscopic data were compared between patients with or without a preoperative clinical diagnosis of HCM, no significant differences were found. CONCLUSION In patients submitted to surgical septal myectomy, histology was mostly indistinctive among different clinical entities. Since different myocardial hypertrophy etiologies may share similar pathological expression, there is a need for detailed clinical assessment when trying to define the best strategy for clinical management.

Endomyocardial Fibrosis With End-Stage Heart Failure as a Consequence of a Myeloproliferative Neoplasm With Hypereosinophilia

Hypereosinophilic syndrome is characterized by an overproduction of eosinophils that infiltrate and damage multiple organs. Cardiac dysfunction occurs frequently and is a main cause of morbidity and mortality. We describe the case of a middle-aged man diagnosed with a myeloproliferative neoplasm associated with hypereosinophilia and treated with imatinib. He was diagnosed with cardiac involvement by hypereosinophilic syndrome at a late stage, with an established restrictive cardiomyopathy. Because of end-stage heart failure, he successfully received a heart transplant. This disease might not be considered a contraindication for heart transplantation.

Simple mesothelial pericardial cyst in a rare location.

Pericardial cysts are rare and generally benign intrathoracic lesions, most frequently located in the cardiophrenic angles, but other locations have been described. We present a case of a pericardial cyst in a previously undescribed site. Our patient presented with a cyst in the interventricular septum which was discovered as an incidental finding. After surgical excision of the cyst, it was described pathologically as a simple mesothelial pericardial cyst. The explanation of this rare condition is uncertain, but some hypotheses can be outlined.

NT-PROBNP ASSAY MAY PRECLUDE THE NEED FOR ROUTINE ENDOMYOCARDIAL BIOPSY TO DETECT CARDIAC ALLOGRAFT REJECTION, BUT NOT EARLY AFTER TRANSPLANTATION

Background: Endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) remains the standard for the diagnosis of rejection after heart transplantation (HTx). Very high levels of the N-terminal fragment of B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), an established marker for the diagnosis of heart failure, are common in the first 3 months after HTx. The aim of this study was to determine whether the NT-proBNP assay may detect or exclude cardiac allograft rejection.