Myocardial sarcoidosis as a rare cause of sudden cardiac death

Two relatively young women died suddenly due to myocardial sarcoidosis. Necropsy in both cases revealed compact infiltration of the ventricular septum by fibrous tissue. Histologic sections elucidated extensive granulomatous degeneration and giant cells of the Langhans' and foreign body type without central necrosis of the granulomas. Both women had been entirely free of symptoms, but in the second case of a 35-year-old, who had been 6 months pregnant, an ultrasound sonography of the heart had documented a suspicious area in the ventricular septum interpreted as a scar. Further investigations had been postponed until delivery. Isolated myocardial sarcoidosis should be taken into account as one possible cause of sudden death, especially in young people.     

Histological diagnosis of myocardial sarcoidosis in a fatal fall from a height

The major issues of medico-legal relevance in fatal falls from a height are the manner of death and the reconstruction of the event. We present a peculiar case of a fatal fall from a height of about 9 m, involving a 27-year-old woman. At the death scene investigation, no suicide notes, housebreaking marks, or signs of fight were found, thus weakening both the suicide and homicide hypotheses. Combining circumstantial, autopsy and toxicology data, the kinematic analysis of the jump/fall, and the histological evidence of a myocardial sarcoidosis involving the left ventricle, we hypothesized that the young woman might have accidentally fallen from the window because of a sudden loss of consciousness related to cardiac disease undiagnosed during life. We believe that our brief report is a good example of the powerful additional information that histological investigations can offer for reconstructing the dynamics of the event in falls from a height and other traumatic fatalities.     

Cardiac sarcoidosis with spontaneous rupture of the right ventricle

A 56-year-old woman died suddenly and unexpectedly of a cardiac tamponade due to spontaneous rupture of the right ventricle. The cardiac rupture occurred on the basis of clinically unsuspected cardiac sarcoidosis. Sudden death due to spontaneous rupture of a cardiac chamber is a previously unreported complication of sarcoidosis.     

Sudden unexpected death resulting from hypothalamic sarcoidosis

The authors report a case of sudden death in a 23-year-old woman in whom autopsy by the medical examiner revealed hypothalamic sarcoidosis. The decedent had experienced 6 months of amenorrhea and a 50-pound weight gain. She sought medical attention when she experienced headache, and after imaging and laboratory studies, she was suspected of having neurosarcoidosis. She appeared to respond well to corticosteroid therapy. However, 6 weeks after the beginning of therapy, she was found dead on the floor of her residence. Autopsy showed extensive granulomatous inflammation of the hypothalamus and adjacent structures. Previously reported cases of hypothalamic sarcoidosis are reviewed. A hypothesis for the mechanism of sudden death is presented.     

Sarcoidosis and mechanisms of unexpected death

Sarcoidosis is a multisystem disease of uncertain etiology characterized by multifocal areas of discrete and confluent granulomatous inflammation that may rarely be responsible for sudden and unexpected death. Two cases are reported to demonstrate disparate pathological features in fatal cases, one involving cardiac sarcoidosis, and the other neurosarcoidosis with hypothalamic infiltration. Sarcoidosis in individuals dying suddenly may be completely unrelated to the death, contributory or causal. Cardiovascular causes of sudden death in sarcoidosis include arrhythmias associated with cardiomyopathy and ischemia, ventricular rupture, and cor pulmonale due to pulmonary hypertension; respiratory causes include hemorrhage and upper airway obstruction; central nervous system causes include arrhythmias from infiltration of autonomic centers, epilepsy, and obstructive hydrocephalus from brainstem involvement; and gastrointestinal deaths may be due to hemorrhage from esophageal varices associated with portal hypertension. The diagnosis relies on the demonstration of typical noncaseating granulomas and the exclusion of other infective and environmental diseases with similar histopathological findings.     

Incidental myocardial infarction in Ehlers-Danlos syndrome type IV?

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Type IV is an illness that often leads to premature death due to arterial rupture or dissection and is characterized by very fragile connective tissue. This report documents the death of a 30-year-old man with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Type IV from myocardial rupture and cardiac tamponade following a myocardial infarction. We believe that Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Type IV contributed to the coronary atherosclerosis and myocardial rupture in this young man and that this disease led indirectly to his death by myocardial infarction, an unusual cause of death in this syndrome.     

Impact of Myocardial Infarction and Abnormalities of Cardiac Conduction System on Sudden Cardiac DeathCSCD

Sudden cardiac death (SCD), most commonly seen in coronary heart disease, is a kind of sudden death caused by series of cardiac parameters, which usually combines with myocardial infarction. However, some SCDs (including early myocardial infarction) happen suddenly and cause death in a very short time. In these circumstances, typical morphological changes are lack in macroscopic or microscopic fields, which make such SCDs become the emphasis and difficulty in the present research. SCD caused by myocardial infarction and abnormalities of cardiac conduction system (CCS) is related to atherosclerosis of coronary artery closely. This paper reviews cardiac dysfunction caused by myocardial infarction and diseases of CCS from morphology and molecular biology, and explores potential relationship between them. This paper aims to provide clues to the mechanism of myocardial infarction related sudden death and possible assistance for forensic diagnosis of SCD. © 2017 by the Editorial Department of Journal of Forensic Medicine.     

Relationship of ischemic heart disease to sudden death

A clinicopathological synthesis is presented of the relationship of ischemic heart disease to sudden cardiac death. The immediate pathophysiological process responsible for sudden cardiac death is a lethal arrhythmia, usually ventricular fibrillation. Although significant coronary atherosclerosis is present in most cases of naturally occurring sudden death, available evidence indicates that several mechanisms can be operative in the pathogenesis of the fatal event. These are (1) acute myocardial infarction in a minority of cases; (2) myocardial ischemia, without infarction, which is initiated either by (a) an exertion-induced increase in myocardial oxygen demand or (b) an acute coronary event often involving plaque degeneration and platelet aggregation; and (3) a primary arrhythmia, usually resulting from altered electrical conduction in the setting of a previous myocardial infarction.     

IMA和H-FABP在心源性猝死法医学诊断中的应用

急性心肌缺血的发生是心源性猝死的最常见原因,而如何认定早期急性心肌缺血是法医学研究的热点,同时也是临床预防心肌梗死发生的重要环节。本文通过对缺血修饰白蛋白(ischemia modified albumin,IMA)和心型脂肪酸结合蛋白(heart-type fatty acid binding protein,H-FABP)的结构、功能、临床应用价值及法医学中的应用前景进行综述,旨在分析二者是否可作为早期心肌缺血的生化检测指标用于心源性猝死的诊断,并为今后选择心源性猝死的科研方向提供借鉴。     

心脏性猝死心肌组织N-Cadherin、Bax表达变化及评价

目的观察心脏性猝死者(SCD)心肌组织的神经性钙粘附蛋白(N-Cadherin)和Bax的表达变化,探讨其法医学意义。方法分别选取心脏性猝死和排除心脏疾病死因的尸检案例心肌组织标本各33例、29为SCD组和对照组。光镜下观察心肌组织病理学改变,检测N-Cadherin和Bax在心肌组织中的表达变化,并进行统计学分析。结果 N-Cadherin在SCD组心肌中表达呈弱阳性,排列紊乱,显著低于正常心肌,正常心肌组织中N-Cadherin呈强阳性表达,细胞间界限明显,排列整齐。Bax在SCD组表达呈阳性,显著高于正常心肌。结论 N-Cadherin和Bax的变化表达对心脏性猝死鉴定有意义。     

抗人心肌肌凝蛋白重链单克隆抗体在心肌缺血尸检例中的应用

为了更有效地检测早期及超早期心肌缺血性病变，对5例心肌组织材料进行了肌凝蛋白重链（MyosinH链）及肌红蛋白的免疫组织学染色，探讨了肌凝蛋白的染色情况、抗原分布、死后变化对染色的影响及心肌早期、超早期缺血的有无、程度及与死亡的关系。应用石蜡组织切片进行的抗人心肌肌凝蛋白重链免疫组织学染色，在病理学方面尚属首次，这种单克隆抗体对人的特异性高，无共集现象，在心肌缺血数分钟乃至十几分钟后即可发现缺血心肌细胞中肌凝蛋白重键的脱失像，是分析早期、超早期心肌缺血所致急死及其它原因死亡案例心肌缺血病变的有力方法。     

Sudden death due to primary diffuse leptomeningeal gliomatosis

Tumors of the central nervous system are an unusual cause of sudden death. This report describes the sudden death of a presumed healthy 28-year-old woman from primary diffuse leptomeningeal gliomatosis. She presented to an emergency room with headache and vomiting, subsequently became unresponsive and was pronounced dead 14 h later. Autopsy revealed a diffuse extensive infiltrate of well-differentiated astrocytoma in the leptomeninges of the brain and spinal cord without an underlying parenchymal tumor. Primary diffuse leptomeningeal gliomatosis is a rare tumor that arises within the leptomeninges from small neuroglial heterotopic rests that undergo neoplastic transformation. Grossly. this tumor can mimic leptomeningeal carcinomatosis, pachymeningitis, tuberculosis, sarcoidosis, and fungal infections. However, the histologic features of primary diffuse leptomeningeal gliomatosis should allow it to be readily distinguished from grossly similar conditions. The mechanism of death in this case is most likely tumor obstruction of cerebrospinal fluid outflow resulting in the usual complications seen with increased intracranial pressure. Although this tumor is aggressive and is associated with a rapidly progressive fatal course, it has not been previously associated with sudden death.     

大鼠急性心肌缺血后肌浆网RyR2 mRNA表达变化

目的 研究大鼠急性心肌缺血后心肌肌浆网兰尼碱受体蛋白2(ryanodine receptor 2,RyR2)mRNA表达的变化.方法 将SD大鼠分为正常对照组、心肌缺血组和缺血性猝死组.采用腹腔注射垂体后叶素的方法复制大鼠急性心肌缺血和猝死模型,对心肌进行半定量荧光RT-PCR检测,观察RyR2 mRNA表达水平的变化.结果 与正常对照组相比,不同时间和不同程度的急性心肌缺血后心肌肌浆网RyR2 mRNA表达均显著降低(P<0.05).结论 心肌缺血性损伤可诱导心肌钙调控蛋白RyR2 mRNA表达下调.     

大鼠心肌缺血后SERCA和PLB基因表达变化的观察

目的观察大鼠心肌缺血后，肌浆网钙调节蛋白SERCA和PLB基因表达水平变化，探讨其在早期心肌缺血诊断上的应用价值。方法25只大鼠随机分为正常对照组、缺血5、10、15min及缺血性猝死组，建立大鼠急性心肌缺血模型；利用荧光标记逆转录聚合酶链反应技术（RT—PCR）检测不同时间大鼠心肌缺血后，SERCA和PLB的基因表达变化，并与缺血性猝死组相比较。结果心肌缺血5min即可检测到SERCA和PLBmRNA表达相对下降，且随着缺血时间的延长，呈逐渐下降趋势，心肌缺血组与缺血性猝死组表达存在显著性差异。结论大鼠心肌缺血后SERCA和PLB基因表达变化呈一定规律性。对早期心肌缺血的诊断具有法医学意义。     

猝死与冠状动脉肌桥

冠状动脉肌桥临床上的表现,血管造影,诊断以及治疗得到医生的普遍认可,但在导致猝死尚还没有引起法医同仁的注意。通过复习相关的文献。本文主要对冠状动脉肌桥的研究状况、致死机制以及由此引起猝死的病理特点等进行阐述。     

Serum concentrations of cardiac troponin T in sudden death

Ischemic heart disease is the most common cause of sudden death of natural causes in most western countries. By autopsy, there may be no gross or histologic evidence of acute myocardial damage unless the patient survived for several hours following the event. Cardiac troponin in serum has become the recommended biochemical marker for myocardial injury in the clinical setting. We performed a prospective study on 102 autopsied subjects at the Central Hospital of Rogaland, Stavanger, Norway. Femoral blood was sampled for subsequent analysis of cardiac troponin T (cTnT). In the subjects with morphologic evidence of recent myocardial injury (n = 34), the mean serum cTnT level was 1.95 microg/L compared with 0.16 microg/L in the subjects with a noncardiac cause of death (n = 35) and 0.61 microg/L in the group with probable sudden cardiac death without morphologic signs of acute myocardial injury (n = 33). The observed differences in mean serum cTnT levels between the groups were statistically significant (P < 0.0001). These data suggest that elevated postmortem serum concentration of cTnT reflects ongoing myocardial damage and may support a diagnosis of cardiac-related death in cases associated with sparse or inconclusive morphologic findings postmortem.     

早期心肌梗死死后诊断的法医病理学研究进展

心源性猝死在成人猝死的死因中占首位,心肌梗死是冠心病猝死的主要机制之一,由于早期心肌梗死发生突然,且可在短时间内死亡,肉眼和镜下都缺乏典型的形态学改变,一直都是法医实践中研究的热点,本文回顾多年来心肌梗死的研究成果在法医学中的应用及局限,展望新的临床指标在法医工作中的可行性,期望提高死后心肌梗死诊断的准确率。     

原发性心肌病猝死心肌mtDNA~(4977)缺失变化

目的探讨原发性心肌病(PCM)猝死者心肌线粒体DNA(m tDNA4977)缺失情况及其与猝死的关系。方法对18例PCM猝死和28例对照组病例心肌组织蜡块,用常规方法提取心肌m tDNA,以PCR、琼脂糖紫外凝胶成像技术确定扩增产物激光密度,初步定量检测m tDNA4977缺失率。结果PCM猝死18例中,检见13例m tDNA4977缺失,占72.44%。对照组28例中,检见3例m tDNA4977缺失,占10.71%;两组病例m tDNA4977缺失率均值分别为0.5795和0.0744,差异有非常显著性意义。结论多数PCM,特别是扩张型心肌病猝死者心肌可检见m tDNA4977缺失;提示其心肌m tDNA4977缺失变化与PCM猝死的发生可能有一定关系。     

Immunohistochemical characterisation and TNF-α expression of the granulomatous infiltration of the brainstem in a case of sudden death due to neurosarcoidosis

Neurosarcoidosis carries a mortality of 10%, over twice that of sarcoidosis overall, although it has been rarely reported as a cause of sudden death. The current evidence suggests that sarcoidosis results from an enhanced immune reaction to a variety of antigens, non-self or self which causes CD4 (helper-inducer) T-cell accumulation with a ratio of helper-inducer T cells to suppressor-cytotoxic T cells usually high in affected organs, activation and release of inflammatory cytokines, and formation of granulomatous lesions. Numerous cytokines and other mediators are produced by both activated macrophages and T lymphocytes bearing the CD4-helper phenotype during the granuloma responses. A number of data suggest that interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and cytokines such as TNF-α, IL-2, and IL-18 play a critical role in the formation of granulomas. In this article, we describe the clinical and pathological characteristics of a patient who suddenly died due to acute respiratory failure. Neurosarcoidosis with massive and extensive involvement of the brainstem was established as the cause of death. Western blot analysis in the patient demonstrated the TNF-α presence as a 51-kDa protein in the brain tissue. The immunohistochemical analysis showed a poor positiveness for CD4 in all samples around the granulomas, as well as moderate positiveness for CD8, CD15, and CD20; CD45 and CD68 showed a strong positiveness in all the brain samples. Histological findings, immunohistochemical analysis, and proteomic studies addressed the diagnosis of neurosarcoidosis with involvement of the nucleus of the solitary tract in the brainstem and central hypoventilation as the cause of death.     

大鼠心脏型脂肪酸结合蛋白在早期心肌缺血时的含量变化

目的 观察心肌缺血后不同时间段心肌细胞胞浆内和血浆中的心脏型脂肪酸结合蛋白(H-FABP)含量变化。方法 按Selye法结扎大鼠左冠状动脉前降支复制心肌缺血模型,用免疫组织化学和酶联免疫吸附实验(ELISA)的方法,观察心肌缺血后不同时间H-FABP在心肌细胞和血浆中含量的变化规律。结果 心肌缺血15min时,缺血区心肌即可出现H-FABP缺失,随着缺血时间的延长,缺失的范围扩大,程度加重,与对照组相比差异有显著性;心肌缺血15min时,血浆H-FABP含量在心肌缺血15min时即明显升高,与对照组相比有显著性差异。随着缺血时间的延长,血浆含量逐渐上升,4h时达到高峰,以后逐渐下降。结论 心肌缺血后不同时间段心肌细胞胞浆内和血浆中的H-FABP含量变化呈现一定规律性,可望成为诊断早期心肌缺血所致的心源性猝死的敏感指标。