REPORTING OF ENDOMYOCARDIAL BIOPSY (ALLOGRAFT REJECTION):CLICK

ISHLT SYSTEM FOR GRADING REJECTION : CLICK

Patients receiving heart transplants usually are in end-stage cardiac failure due to ischaemic heart disease or idiopathic cardiomyopathy.

Heart specimen is usually submitted fresh.

(GENERAL OUTLINE FOR EXAMINATION OF  HEART)

The specimen usually consist of both ventricles and atria amputated 0.5 cm above the ventricles.

Occassionally, the pathologist will also receive small portions of the donor heart (Eg. Auricular appendages).   (AUTOPSY EXAMINATION OF HEART)

 Processing the specimen:

 (1) In general, hearts are cut after fixation in a manner dictated by the pathology to be demonstrated.

Hearts with dilated cardiomyopathy are cut longitudinally from apex to base, bivalving both ventricles and bisecting tricuspid and mitral valve (“apical 4 - chamber” cut).

Hearts with ischaemic heart disease are cut transversely at approximately 1 to 2 cm intervals beginning at the apex to the level of the mitral valve (“serially sectioned”).

The base of the heart may be cut longitudinally or open according to the line of flow.

 (2) Weight of the specimen. Normal weights for the entire heart are 270-360 g for males and 250-280 g for females.

 (3) Describe epicardial surface including pericardial fat (abundant, scant), petechiae , adhesions.   

 (4) Describe each ventricle separately including hypertrophy or dilatation, fibrosis (endocardial, epicardial, transmural, location and degree), infarcts (old or recent, size, location, transmural or subendocardial ), trabeculations, papillary muscles (hypertrophied, thinned, scarred, infracted), presence of mural thrombus.

Measure the wall thickness or both ventricles. Normal thickness of the left ventricle is 0.9 to 1.5 cm and the right ventricle is 0.25 to 0.3 cm.

(5) Describe atria if there are any endocardial lesions.

(6) Describe any valve lesions as in section above (native or prosthetic).

(7) Atherosclerotic coronary arteries are dissected from the heart, fixed and decalcified and sectioned transversely at 3 to 5 mm intervals. 

 Soft unobstructed coronary arteries may be carefully cut in transverse sections on the fixed heart at 3 mm intervals.    

 ANATOMY OF THE CORONARY ARTERIES    ;     AUTOPSY EXAM. OF CORONARY ARTERIES

Describe the coronary arteries , percent of luminal compromise, location, recent thrombi or plaque hemorrhage, and the locations of these lesions.

(8) Describe any bypass grafts including type (saphenous vein, left internal mammary), location of graft to native vessel patency.

(9) Describe amount and type of tissue taken for research, name of the principal investigsator taking the tissue.

(10) Submit three sections of the left ventricular free wall (base, lateral and apex in one cassette), two sections from right ventricular free wall (base and apex in one cassette and two sections from the septum (base and apex in one cassette). Additional cassettes are submitted to document native coronary arteries, coronary artery grafts and any other gross lesions.  

FUNCTIONAL ANATOMY OF THE HEART ANATOMY OF THE ATRIUM ANATOMY OF THE VENTRICLE ANATOMY OF THE CORONARY ARTERIES AUTOPSY EXAM. OF CORONARY ARTERIES EXAMINATION  OF CARDIAC  VALVES CARDIAC  VALVE  DISEASE MITRAL  VALVE LESIONS PULMONARY VALVE DISEASE TRICUSPID VALVE DISEASE CARDIOMYOPATHY CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE congenital heart disease Ischemic heart disease     Angina pectoris Myocardial infarction                 hypertensive heart disease     RHEUMATIC FEVER AND RHEUMATIC HEART DISEASE   PATHOLOGY OF ASCHOFF BODIES OR NODULES   myocardiTIS   GIANT CELL MYOCARDITIS     pericardial disease   INFECTIVE ENDOCARDITIS CARDIAC HEMOCHROMATOSIS CARDIAC AMYLOIDOSIS HISTOPATHOLOGY REPORTING OF PERICARDIAL SPECIMEN HEART TRANSPLANTS - PATHOLOGICAL EXAMINATION ENDOMYOCARDIAL BIOPSY-(ALLOGRAFT REJECTION): ISHLT SYSTEM FOR GRADING REJECTION POST-OPERATIVE CARDIAC PATHOLOGY PERIOPERATIVE CARDIAC PATHOLOGY PRIMARY TUMOURS OF THE HEART REPORTING OF CARDIAC TUMOURS CARDIAC MYXOMA CARDIAC RHABDOMYOMA PAPILLARY FIBROELASTOMA CARDIAC FIBROMA CARDIAC LIPOMA CARDIAC HEMANGIOMA CARDIAC TERATOMA MESOTHELIOMA OF ATRIOVENTRICULAR NODE PURKINJE CELL TUMOUR CARDIAC PARAGANGLIOMA MALIGNANT TUMOURS OF THE HEART