Fatal parvovirus B19 myocarditis in an 8-year-old boy

A report is given on an 8-year-old boy who suddenly and unexpected died. Autopsy findings point to acute heart failure. Microscopic examination of the heart showed increased interstitial and perivasal fibrosis and myocarditis with macrophage infiltration. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis for parvovirus B19 was positive in heart samples and in the spleen. Immunostaining for parvoviral surface antigens was negative. Although the virus does not appear to have infected the cardiomyocytes, we speculate that myocarditis arose from immunological cross-reaction to epitopes shared between the virus and the myocardium.     

Sudden and unexpected death of a 6-month-old baby with silent heart failure due to anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery.

A 6-month-old girl died suddenly without any previous symptoms of heart failure. Autopsy examination showed cardiomegaly (97 g) with a severely fibrotized myocardium. The left coronary artery was originating from the pulmonary artery. Histologically, the myocardium showed myocardial infarcts of different ages, as well as grossly thickened arterial branches due to increased flow in left-right shunt. We suggest that rare anomalies of the coronary arteries should be considered in the autopsies of suspected sudden infant death syndrome cases.     

Sudden Death Due to Coronary Arteritis

We report the case of a middle‐aged man, without medical history, who suddenly died at his workplace. The autopsy highlighted a pathological heart macroscopically, with multiple small white areas on the left myocardium. Coronary dissection revealed a pseudotumoural fibromyxoid aspect within the anterior interventricular artery (AIVA) and the left main coronary trunk, including reduction in their diameter with tight stenosis. Microscopic examination of these arteries showed fibroinflammatory wall destruction. In the left myocardium, there were multiple focal ischemic areas at different stages of recovery. Our case is an illustration of primary ischemic heart disease due to coronary arteritis, with a pseudotumoural presentation, which was revealed by sudden death. We discuss the cause of death and the etiological diagnosis preceding coronary arteritis.     

Sudden cardiac death due to giant cell inflammatory processes

Granulomatous inflammation of the myocardium may occur in a number of systemic disease processes including those with infectious etiologies such as fungal, mycobacterial and parasitic infections, as well as hypersensitivity reactions, and rarely autoimmune disorders. In many of these disorders, giant cells are components of the inflammatory infiltrate. Systemic granulomatous processes of unknown pathogenesis, most notably sarcoidosis, may also be associated with involvement of the myocardium. Occasionally, these disorders are associated with sudden death due to pathologic involvement of the heart. In contrast, giant cell myocarditis, also known as idiopathic myocarditis, a rare, frequently fulminant and fatal disorder of unknown etiology, is isolated to the heart and lacks systemic involvement. This disorder is most commonly diagnosed at autopsy. We present two cases in which sudden death resulted from a giant cell inflammatory process affecting the myocardium. Both individuals lacked antemortem diagnoses and collapsed at their respective places of employment. These cases compare and contrast the clinical and pathologic issues involved in the differential diagnoses of the subgroup of sudden cardiac deaths resulting from giant cell inflammatory processes that affect the myocardium, as well as the value of histologic examination and immunohistochemical studies.     

Cathepsin-L在缺血心肌中的表达

目的检测cathepsin-L(CTSL)在大鼠早期缺血心肌中的表达变化,并探讨其法医学意义。方法建立大鼠早期心肌缺血模型,设置早期缺血组(early ischemic myocardium,EIM)、非缺血组(non-ischemic myocardium,NIM)、假手术组以及空白对照组,采用real-time PCR方法检测大鼠缺血后15min,30min,1h和2h CTSL mRNA的表达量,并进行组内和组间比较。收集心源性猝死者缺血心肌和机械性损伤致死者正常心肌样本,采用免疫组化染色方法观察心肌组织中CTSL蛋白表达。结果 EIM组CTSL mRNA表达量与NIM组、假手术组及空白组相比,在15min时无统计学意义(P>0.05),在30min、1h和2h时分别升高1.4、3.1和4.5倍(P<0.05);其余3组间差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。观察10例冠脉狭窄程度Ⅲ～Ⅳ级的心源性猝死(SCD)者缺血心肌,CTSL表达增强。结论大鼠心肌缺血后早期即可检测到CTSL mRNA的升高,并在SCD冠脉狭窄死者缺血心肌中高表达,提示CTSL可作为心肌缺血与SCD的参考指标。     

Cardic death and apoptosis of myocardium

TdT-mediated Dutp nick end labeling (TUNEL) method was applied to detect apoptosis of myocardium of corpses dying from cardiac death. For arteriosclerotic coronary heart death, diffused apoptosis was observed around the border zones of histologically infarcted myocardium, and in the epithelial and smooth muscle of arteries. Few apoptosis cells were present for hypertensive heart death, and none for corpses dying from falling and hanging. Myocardium apoptosis may provide a new target for heart failure.     

Eosinophilic myocarditis from a forensic histopathological perspective

Eosinophilic myocarditis (EM) is a rare and potentially fatal form of myocarditis characterized by infiltration of the myocardium with eosinophil leukocytes, often accompanied by eosinophilia. Although the exact underlying cause remains unknown, it has been shown to be associated with hypersensitivity reactions, immune-mediated disorders, infections, or cancer. Due to the differences in symptomatology, it is often diagnosed by postmortem histopathological examination. We aimed to retrospectively examine the histopathological findings of rare cases of EM and to detect accompanying cardiac and other organ pathologies. The histopathological findings of the cases that underwent autopsies between 2012 and 2020 and were diagnosed with EM were assessed. Demographic features, symptoms, causes of death, macroscopical findings at autopsy, toxicologic and microbiological analysis results, accompanying cardiac pathologies, and histopathological findings in other organs were evaluated. Myocarditis was detected on histopathologic examination in 558 (1.1%) of 49,612 forensic autopsies. There were 12 (2.3%) EM cases. There were nine males and four females. The mean age was 42.3 (3–83) years. Heart weights ranged from 82 to 564 g. The most common finding on macroscopic examination was the mottled discoloration and scarring in the myocardium. Microscopic examination revealed perivascular and interstitial infiltration of eosinophils in all of the cases accompanied by myocyte necrosis in four of them. EM was reported as the cause of death in four cases. EM remains a challenging heart disease with its obscure etiopathogenesis and varying clinical presentation and a rare entity diagnosed by postmortem histopathological examination in sudden and unexpected deaths.     

冠心病心肌线粒体DNA5.0kb缺失的检测

目的探讨冠心病心肌线粒体DNA5.0kb缺失的检测。方法120例心脏的左、右心室肌各1份,分为正常对照组、病例相关组和病例组,每组40例80个样本。用断裂点连接PCR分别扩增样本含线粒体DNA5.0kb缺失的片段,巢式PCR检测含5.0kb缺失片段的扩增产物的准确性,半定量PCR对该产物进行定量,聚丙稀酰胺凝胶电泳检测PCR产物。结果在对照片段扩增成功的样本中,正常对照组未检出线粒体DNA5.0kb缺失;病例相关组检出2例,占6.07%(2/33);病例组检出29例,占85.29%(29/34);左、右心室肌线粒体DNA5.0kb缺失量分别为0.0015%~0.7813%和0.0008%~0.3906%。病例组与其他两组缺失率经χ2检验,其差异具有极显著性意义(P<0.001);左、右心室肌的缺失量经t检验,其差异具有极显著性意义(P<0.001)。结论冠心病心肌多有线粒体DNA5.0kb缺失,缺血明显的区域其缺失量也较高。     

Pathomorphology of the endocardium and myocardium in the heart injury

Light, polarization, luminescent microscopy, phase contrast, special staining methods and scanning electron microscopy were used for studying sections and fragments of the endocardium and myocardium from 123 patients who had died of heart contusion and ischemic heart disease and from 50 rats with experimental heart contusion. The morphological classification of heart contusion and differential-diagnostic table of myocardial alterations due to contusion of the heart and ischemic heart disease are proposed to facilitate pathomorphological diagnosis of heart contusion. The classification of pathomorphological signs in heart contusion is presented.     

人体冠心病心肌组织cTnI免疫组织化学研究

目的 研究cTnI免疫组织化学法诊断人体急性心肌梗死的法医病理学意义.方法 应用免疫组织化学法检测人体冠心病心肌组织cTnI的变化,进行图像分析,与HE染色法进行比较.结果 人体冠心病心肌组织急性心肌梗死区域心肌细胞内cTnI免疫组化染色缺染、分布失规律性;梗死修复区域纤维间质cTnI免疫组化染色弱阳性:陈旧性心肌梗死瘢痕区域纤维间质cTnI免疫组化染色阴性.失血性休克组近心内膜心肌细胞内cTnI免疫组化染色轻度增强,并见点灶状心肌细胞内cTnI免疫组化染色缺染.结论 cTnI免疫组织化学检测可以应用于人体急性心肌梗死的诊断.     

过敏性和冠心病猝死者心肌组织中肥大细胞类胰蛋白酶、脑利钠肽的表达

目的探讨肥大细胞类胰蛋白酶、脑利钠肽(brain natriuretic peptide,BNP)在过敏性猝死和冠心病猝死鉴别诊断中的意义。方法选取山西医科大学法医病理学教研室2010—2015年尸检案例心肌标本共30例,分为颅脑损伤致死组、过敏性猝死组、冠心病猝死组,每组各10例。采用免疫荧光染色和Western印迹法分析各组心肌组织肥大细胞类胰蛋白酶和BNP的表达。结果过敏性猝死组、冠心病猝死组心肌组织内肥大细胞类胰蛋白酶免疫荧光染色均出现阳性染色;三组间两两比较,表达差异均具有统计学意义(P0.05)。冠心病猝死组心肌组织内BNP的表达量高于过敏性猝死组、颅脑损伤致死组(P0.05),过敏性猝死组与颅脑损伤致死组之间差异无统计学意义(P0.05)。结论联合检测心肌组织内肥大细胞类胰蛋白酶、BNP有望为过敏性猝死和冠心病猝死的法医学鉴别诊断提供帮助。     

Asymmetric septal hypertrophy of the heart. New findings concerning the possible etiology of sudden deaths in five males

This report describes certain interesting postmortem findings in the hearts of five subjects who died suddenly, silently, and unexpectedly, and in whom the only significant abnormality at autopsy was asymmetric septal hypertrophy (ASH) of the heart. Deep clefts, cystic faults, and dilated vascular channels were not only seen within the septal myocardium in all the hearts, but also within the left ventricular free walls of two hearts. The septal myocardium and the left ventricular free walls of two hearts and the A-V node and His bundle of one heart demonstrated mural and luminal thrombi of several dilated vascular channels. In another heart, foci of cardiocytic myofibrillar degeneration were seen, especially close to narrowed small coronary vessels. Fetal dispersion and fibrosis of the A-V node and His bundle were evident in one heart. These abnormalities in the conducting system and the ventricular myocardium suggest that the hearts of subjects with ASH are not only excellent anatomic substrates for lethal arrhythmias, but also are bound to be hemodynamically impaired. We believe that conditions such as hypoxia, increased oxygen demand by the heart or abnormal sympathetic stimulus may easily trigger fatal arrhythmias in such individuals, thereby causing sudden death.     

实验性心脏震荡的法医病理学研究

本研究应用可产生稳定打击速度并可同时测定瞬间冲击速度及冲击力大小的机械式弹性拉力打击器，分别以６．７ｍ／ｓ及８．０ｍ／ｓ速度冲击大胸骨部心前区建立了心脏震荡动物模型，在左右心室压力及心电图监测下冲击后６０分钟进行尸体剖验检查，并应用多种组织化学染色、透射电镜技术、免疫组织化学染色以及硝酸镧示踪电镜技术对心肌组织学行系统性研究。结果表明：１．心前区受冲击瞬间左右心室内压力急骤升高，随即可恢复至正常水平。心电图在冲击后即刻表现为持续短暂的异常心律，逐渐恢复至正常心律。２．心脏血管麻痹性扩张，但宏观及微观均无损伤性所见。３．心肌超微结构有一定程度损害，心肝细胞膜破裂或通透性增高。本研究提示：心脏震荡者心脏宏观、微观无特殊改变，但超结构及心肌细胞膜轻度损害。     

Sudden cardiac death in a 5-year-old girl associated with parvovirus B19 infection

We report on a 5-year-old girl who suddenly collapsed and died while dancing at a family party. Histological examination of the heart including the cardiac conduction system revealed lymphocytic infiltrations of the sinu-atrial node and perivascular infiltration in the atrio-ventricular region. Additionally, foci of mononuclear infiltrates were observed in the myocardium. Consequently, myocarditis was diagnosed as cause of death. The child also had lymphocytic conjunctivis, parotitis and tracheitis. Evaluation of infections by means of nested polymerase chain reaction revealed parvovirus B19 DNA (PVB19) in tissue samples of the trachea.     

An approach to dissecting the congenitally malformed heart in the forensic autopsy: the value of sequential segmental analysis.

The demonstration of congenital heart disease at autopsy necessitates the careful preservation and examination of the heart, the vessels, and their connections. Techniques preserving these connections and using a reproducible and systematic approach are preferred. The Rokitansky method of organ block dissection, in combination with a system of heart examination termed sequential segmental analysis, provides such an approach. This study is based on the examination of heart specimens accessioned into the Frank E. Sherman, M.D., and Cora C. Lenox, M.D., Heart Museum (containing approximately 2400 specimens) of the Pathology Department, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. Specimens received in consultation during a 25-year period from hospitals and coroners'/medical examiners' offices were examined, and the corresponding reports were reviewed. Of 46 total heart specimens examined (1975-1999), 29 (63%) were dissected properly or left intact for dissection at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, and 17 (37%) were incorrectly dissected for the demonstration of congenital heart disease. Of these 17 cases, 11 (24%) displayed dissection errors, which did not hinder a complete diagnosis, 3 cases (6.5%) had errors that enabled only an incomplete diagnosis, and in 3 cases (6.5%), no diagnosis of congenital heart disease could be made. Dissection mistakes and means of avoiding them are discussed. Review of medical and family history, external and internal examination, and a reproducible and sequential method of examining the heart and its connections enables documentation of even the most complex cardiovascular anomalies.     

Results, perspectives, and forensic medical aspects of myocardial biopsy

The biopsy of the heart's myocardium is a very important advance for study of the heart in the living patient. Its complications and forensic medical aspects are extremely important. Both are discussed in this article.     

VEGF免疫组化染色在冠心病猝死诊断中的应用

运用免疫组化SABC法和图像分析与统计学处理系统 ,对16例冠心病猝死和15例非冠心病猝死对照组尸检心脏标本心肌局部血管内皮生长因子 (VEGF)的表达进行了研究。结果 :16例冠心病猝心脏标本心肌梗死局部心肌均有VEGF的阳性表达 ,尤以心肌梗死灶边缘为甚 ,阳性表达率为100 %。15例非冠心病猝死对照组心脏标本仅有2例心肌局部散在有VEGF弱阳性表达 ,其余为阴性。将免疫组化染色结果进行图像定量分析与统计学处理 ,冠心病猝死组阳性指数为13.68±2.73 ,对照组为2.05±0.84 ,两组结果有极显著性差异 (P<0.01)。本研究结果提示 ,VEGF免疫组化染色可望为冠心病猝死的死后诊断提供一个比较客观的病理形态学依据     

Arrhythmogenesis and diagnosis of cardiac sarcoidosis. An immunohistochemical study in a sudden cardiac death

We present an uncommon case of sudden cardiac death in a 34-year-old white woman. She was found lifeless at home by her parents. Three months before death she was recovered at the Emergency Room for chest pain, palpitation and loss of consciousness. Subsequent cardiological evaluation with ECG showed sinusal rhythm, QRS deviation to the left, QS aspect, asymmetric and rounded T waves and slight length of QT. During hospitalization she presented some episodes of supraventricular paroxysmal tachycardia and non-sustained ventricular tachycardia. No echocardiography alterations were found. An anti-arrhythmic treatment was prescribed. Autopsy revealed some fibrotic scarring in the myocardium of left ventricle. The histological examination of the heart revealed diffuse and extensive fibrosis with non-caseating sarcoid granulomas. The lungs, kidneys and lymph node also showed the same non-caseating granulomas. The diagnosis of sarcoidosis with massive and extensive cardiac involvement was established as cause of death.     

Fn免疫组化染色在人病毒性心肌炎死后诊断中的应用

目的研究纤维连接蛋白(Fn)免疫组化染色对轻度病毒性心肌炎的病理学诊断价值。方法运用兔抗人Fn多克隆抗体对人类心肌炎心肌标本进行Fn-LSAB免疫组化研究。结果发现心肌炎心肌组织内Fn大量沉积,部分心肌细胞内Fn阳性。结论Fn-LSAB染色可显示轻度病毒性心肌炎的心肌损害,Fn沉积是心肌组织存在炎症性病理变化的可靠标志之一。     

冠心病猝死者心肌中SOCS-1和Bax的表达

目的采用免疫组化方法,观察细胞因子信号转导抑制因子-1(SOCS-1)和Bax在冠心病猝死(SCD)者心肌中的表达情况,探讨其对SCD诊断的意义。方法 25例诊断为SCD者心脏样本为实验组,25例非心血管疾病猝死者心脏样本为对照组。应用免疫组织化学方法检测SOCS-1和Bax在心肌中的表达,应用SPSS 17.0软件进行统计处理,组间比较采用秩和检验。结果 SCD猝死者心肌SOCS-1与Bax的表达明显高于对照组,Uc值SOCS-1为5.830 6,Bax为5.573,两种指标组间比较,差异均有显著性意义(P<0.01);SCD组中SOCS-1表达阳性以上且Bax表达弱阳性以上有22例,而正常对照组仅有1例。结论 SOCS-1与Bax均可能参与了细胞凋亡的过程,检测两种指标在心肌中阳性表达,可以为SCD的诊断提供客观依据,且联合检测可提高SCD诊断的特异性。