Hereditary Apolipoprotein A-I-Associated Cardiac Amyloidosis: Importance of Endomyocardial Biopsy When Suspicion Remains High.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Saleem M
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8311363 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:Cardiac amyloidosis is an under-appreciated cause of heart failure. Establishing a diagnosis is important because traditional heart failure treatment regimens can worsen left ventricular failure in this disease. Endomyocardial biopsy is the gold standard for diagnosis; however, scintigraphy with radiolabeled phosphate derivatives and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging have been shown to have high sensitivity and specificity in diagnosing cardiac amyloidosis. Furthermore, cardiac scintigraphy can reliably differentiate amyloid subtypes. We present a case of transthyretin-related cardiac amyloidosis with a negative endomyocardial biopsy but positive 99m-technetium pyrophosphate single photon emission computed tomography scan and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. We discuss the utility of 99m-technetium pyrophosphate imaging in cardiac amyloidosis and the role of single photon emission computed tomography. Finally, we review the several forms of cardiac amyloidosis and how they pertain to cardiac scintigraphy.
| S-EPMC6073076 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectivesThis study prospectively evaluated endomyocardial biopsies in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) to identify histopathologic phenotypes and their association with clinical characteristics.BackgroundMyocardial tissue analysis from a prospectively defined HFpEF cohort reflecting contemporary comorbidities is lacking.MethodsPatients with HFpEF (EF ≥50%) referred to the Johns Hopkins HFpEF Clinic between August 2014 and September 2018 were enrolled for right heart catheterization and endomyocardial biopsy. Clinical features, echocardiography, hemodynamics, and tissue histology were determined and compared with controls (unused donor hearts) and HF with reduced EF (HFrEF).ResultsOf the 108 patients enrolled, median age was 66 years (25th to 75th percentile: 57 to 74 years), 61% were women, 57% were African American, 62% had a previous HF hospitalization, median systolic blood pressure was 141 mm Hg (25th to 75th percentile: 125 to 162 mm Hg), body mass index (BMI) was 37 kg/m2 (25th to 75th percentile: 32 to 45 kg/m2), and 97% were on a loop diuretic. Myocardial fibrosis and myocyte hypertrophy were often present (93% and 88%, respectively); however, mild in 71% with fibrosis and in 52% with hypertrophy. Monocyte infiltration (CD68+ cells/mm2) was greater in patients with HFpEF versus controls (60.4 cells/mm2 [25th to 75th percentile: 36.8 to 97.8] vs. 32.1 cells/mm2 [25th to 75th percentile: 22.3 to 59.2]; p = 0.02) and correlated with age and renal disease. Cardiac amyloidosis (CA) was diagnosed in 15 (14%) patients (HFpEF-CA: 7 patients with wild-type transthyretin amyloidosis [ATTR], 4 patients with hereditary ATTR, 3 patients with light-chain amyloidosis, and 1 patient with AA (secondary) amyloidosis), of which 7 cases were unsuspected. Patients with HFpEF-CA were older, with lower BMI, higher left ventricular mass index, and higher N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide and troponin I levels.ConclusionsIn this large, prospective myocardial tissue analysis of HFpEF, myocardial fibrosis and hypertrophy were common, CD68+ inflammation was increased, and CA prevalence was 14%. Tissue analysis in HFpEF might improve precision therapies by identifying relevant myocardial mechanisms.
| S-EPMC7604801 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Background The relative contribution of amyloid and fibrosis to extracellular volume expansion in cardiac amyloidosis (CA) has never been defined. Methods and Results We included all patients diagnosed with amyloid light-chain (AL) or transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis at a tertiary referral center between 2014 to 2020 and undergoing a left ventricular endomyocardial biopsy. Patients (n=37) were more often men (92%), with a median age of 72 years (interquartile range, 68-81). Lambda-positive AL was found in 14 of 19 AL cases (38%) and kappa-positive AL in 5 of 19 (14%), while transthyretin was detected in the other 18 cases (48%). Amyloid deposits accounted for 15% of tissue sample area (10%-30%), without significant differences between AL and transthyretin amyloidosis. All patients displayed myocardial fibrosis, with a median extent of 15% of tissue samples (10%-23%; range, 5%-60%), in the absence of spatial overlap with amyloid deposits. Interstitial fibrosis was often associated with mild and focal subendocardial fibrosis. The extent of fibrosis or the combination of amyloidosis and fibrosis did not differ significantly between transthyretin amyloidosis and AL subgroups. In 20 patients with myocardial T1 mapping at cardiac magnetic resonance, the combined amyloid and fibrosis extent displayed a modest correlation with extracellular volume (r=0.661, P=0.001). The combined amyloid and fibrosis extent correlated with high-sensitivity troponin T (P=0.035) and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (P=0.002) serum levels. Conclusions Extracellular spaces in cardiac amyloidosis are enlarged to a similar extent by amyloid deposits and fibrotic tissue. Their combination can better explain the increased extracellular volume at cardiac magnetic resonance and circulating biomarkers than amyloid extent alone.
| S-EPMC8751897 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundCardiac amyloidosis (CA) is an infiltrative disease characterised by accumulation of amyloid deposits in the extracellular space of the myocardium-comprising transthyretin (ATTR) and light chain (AL) amyloidosis as the most frequent subtypes. Histopathological proof of amyloid deposits by endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) is the gold standard for diagnosis of CA. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) allows non-invasive workup of suspected CA. We conducted a multi-centre study to assess the diagnostic value of CMR in comparison to EMB for the diagnosis of CA.MethodsWe studied N = 160 patients characterised by symptoms of heart failure and presence of left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy of unknown origin who presented to specialised cardiomyopathy centres in Germany and underwent further diagnostic workup by both CMR and EMB. If CA was diagnosed, additional subtyping based on EMB specimens and monoclonal protein studies in serum was performed. The CMR protocol comprised cine- and late-gadolinium-enhancement (LGE)-imaging as well as native and post-contrast T1-mapping (in a subgroup)-allowing to measure extracellular volume fraction (ECV) of the myocardium.ResultsAn EMB-based diagnosis of CA was made in N = 120 patients (CA group) whereas N = 40 patients demonstrated other diagnoses (CONTROL group). In the CA group, N = 114 (95%) patients showed a characteristic pattern of LGE indicative of CA. In the CONTROL group, only 1/40 (2%) patient showed a "false-positive" LGE pattern suggestive of CA. In the CA group, there was no patient with elevated T1-/ECV-values without a characteristic pattern of LGE indicative of CA. LGE-CMR showed a sensitivity of 95% and a specificity of 98% for the diagnosis of CA. The combination of a characteristic LGE pattern indicating CA with unremarkable monoclonal protein studies resulted in the diagnosis of ATTR-CA (confirmed by EMB) with a specificity of 98% [95%-confidence interval (CI) 92-100%] and a positive predictive value (PPV) of 99% (95%-CI 92-100%), respectively. The EMB-associated risk of complications was 3.13% in this study-without any detrimental or persistent complications.ConclusionNon-invasive CMR shows an excellent diagnostic accuracy and yield regarding CA. When combined with monoclonal protein studies, CMR can differentiate ATTR from AL with high accuracy and predictive value. However, invasive EMB remains a safe invasive gold-standard and allows to differentiate CA from other cardiomyopathies that can also cause LV hypertrophy.
| S-EPMC8055632 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundThe definitive pathologic diagnosis of cardiac sarcoidosis requires observation of a granuloma in the myocardial tissue. It is common, however, to receive a "negative" report for a clinically probable case. We would like to advise pathologists and clinicians on how to interpret "negative" biopsies.MethodsOur study samples were 27 endomyocardial biopsies from 25 patients, three cardiac transplantation and an autopsied heart with suspected cardiac sarcoidosis. Pathologic, radiologic, and clinical features were compared.ResultsThe presence of micro-granulomas or increased histiocytic infiltration was always (6/6 or 100%) associated with fatty infiltration and confluent fibrosis, and they showed radiological features of sarcoidosis. Three of five cases (60%) with fatty change and confluent fibrosis were probable for cardiac sarcoidosis on radiology. When either confluent fibrosis or fatty change was present, one-third (3/9) were radiologically probable for cardiac sarcoidosis. We interpreted cases with micro-granuloma as positive for cardiac sarcoidosis (five of 25, 20%). Cases with both confluent fibrosis and fatty change were interpreted as probable for cardiac sarcoidosis (seven of 25, 28%). Another 13 cases, including eight cases with either confluent fibrosis or fatty change, were interpreted as low probability based on endomyocardial biopsy.ConclusionsThe presence of micro-granuloma could be an evidence for positive diagnosis of cardiac sarcoidosis. Presence of both confluent fibrosis and fatty change is necessary for probable cardiac sarcoidosis in the absence of granuloma. Either of confluent fibrosis or fatty change may be an indirect pathological evidence but they are interpreted as nonspecific findings.
| S-EPMC7483025 | biostudies-literature
Project description:To determine the utility of cardiac magnetic resonance (MR) T1 mapping for quantification of diffuse myocardial fibrosis compared with the standard of endomyocardial biopsy.This HIPAA-compliant study was approved by the institutional review board. Cardiomyopathy patients were retrospectively identified who had undergone endomyocardial biopsy and cardiac MR at one institution during a 5-year period. Forty-seven patients (53% male; mean age, 46.8 years) had undergone diagnostic cardiac MR and endomyocardial biopsy. Thirteen healthy volunteers (54% male; mean age, 38.1 years) underwent cardiac MR as a reference. Myocardial T1 mapping was performed 10.7 minutes ± 2.7 (standard deviation) after bolus injection of 0.2 mmol/kg gadolinium chelate by using an inversion-recovery Look-Locker sequence on a 1.5-T MR imager. Late gadolinium enhancement was assessed by using gradient-echo inversion-recovery sequences. Cardiac MR results were the consensus of two radiologists who were blinded to histopathologic findings. Endomyocardial biopsy fibrosis was quantitatively measured by using automated image analysis software with digital images of specimens stained with Masson trichrome. Histopathologic findings were reported by two pathologists blinded to cardiac MR findings. Statistical analyses included Mann-Whitney U test, analysis of variance, and linear regression.Median myocardial fibrosis was 8.5% (interquartile range, 5.7-14.4). T1 times were greater in control subjects than in patients without and in patients with evident late gadolinium enhancement (466 msec ± 14, 406 msec ± 59, and 303 msec ± 53, respectively; P < .001). T1 time and histologic fibrosis were inversely correlated (r = -0.57; 95% confidence interval: -0.74, -0.34; P < .0001). The area under the curve for myocardial T1 time to detect fibrosis of greater than 5% was 0.84 at a cutoff of 383 msec.Cardiac MR with T1 mapping can provide noninvasive evidence of diffuse myocardial fibrosis in patients referred for evaluation of cardiomyopathy.
| S-EPMC3504318 | biostudies-other
Project description:Endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) is used in diagnosing infiltrative and other suspected cardiomyopathies. We present a case in which positron emission tomography- and electroanatomic mapping-guided EMB of the atrial septum confirmed the diagnosis of cardiac sarcoidosis in a patient with negative findings on ventricular and lymph node biopsy. (Level of Difficulty: Advanced.).
| S-EPMC8603053 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Cardiac amyloidosis is a severe clinical condition leading to restrictive cardiomyopathy and heart failure. With increasing options for specific treatment of different cardiac amyloid diseases, correct amyloid subtyping is essential for clinical outcome. Mass spectrometry-based methods for cardiac amyloid subtyping have become important diagnostic tools but are currently used only in a few reference laboratories. Such methods typically include laser-capture microdissection to ensure the specific analysis of amyloid deposits. While this strategy effectively reduces background signals, it is a labor-intensive and costly procedure hampering the implementation of these methods into a wider group of laboratories. Here we introduce a more direct proteomics-based method for subtyping of cardiac amyloids. Endomyocardial biopsies were retrospectively analyzed from fresh frozen material of 78 patients with cardiac amyloidosis and from 12 biopsies of unused donor heart explants. Cryostat sections were directly digested with trypsin and analyzed with the nano-liquid chromatography (nLC-MS/MS), and the data were evaluated by a proteomic software. With a diagnostic threshold set to 70% for each of the four most common amyloid proteins affecting the heart (LC k, LC l, TTR and SAA), 65 of the cases (87%) could be diagnosed, and of these, 61 cases (94%) were in concordance with the original diagnoses. The specimens were also analyzed for the summed intensities of the amyloid signature proteins (ApoE, ApoA-IV and SAP). The summed intensities were significantly higher (p<0.001) for all assigned amyloid cases, whereas unassigned cases were not significantly different from controls and had lower signals than the assigned cases (p<0.001), suggesting that signature proteins can serve as in situ quality markers of cardiac amyloid deposits. We argue that this efficient workflow can be useful for disseminating proteomics for cardiac amyloid subtyping into accredited clinical laboratories.
2022-10-27 | PXD033168 | Pride
Project description:ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to characterize left atrial (LA) pathology in explanted hearts with transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM); LA mechanics using echocardiographic speckle-tracking in a large cohort of patients with ATTR-CM; and to study the association with mortality.BackgroundThe clinical significance of LA involvement in ATTR-CM is of great clinical interest.MethodsCongo red staining and immunohistochemistry was performed to assess the presence, type, and extent of amyloid and associated changes in 5 explanted ATTR-CM atria. Echo speckle tracking was used to assess LA reservoir, conduit, contractile function, and stiffness in 906 patients with ATTR-CM (551 wild-type (wt)-ATTR-CM; 93 T60A-ATTR-CM; 241 V122I-ATTR-CM; 21 other).ResultsThere was extensive ATTR amyloid infiltration in the 5 atria, with loss of normal architecture, vessels remodeling, capillary disruption, and subendocardial fibrosis. Echo speckle tracking in 906 patients with ATTR-CM demonstrated increased atrial stiffness (median [25th-75th quartile] 1.83 [1.15-2.92]) that remained independently associated with prognosis after adjusting for known predictors (lnLA stiff: HR: 1.23; 95% CI: 1.03-1.49; P = 0.029). There was substantial impairment of the 3 phasic functional atrial components (reservoir 8.86% [5.94%-12.97%]; conduit 6.5% [4.53%-9.28%]; contraction function 4.0% [2.29%-6.56%]). Atrial contraction was absent in 22.1% of patients whose electrocardiograms showed sinus rhythm (SR) "atrial electromechanical dissociation" (AEMD). AEMD was associated with poorer prognosis compared with patients with SR and effective mechanical contraction (P = 0.0018). AEMD conferred a similar prognosis to patients in atrial fibrillation.ConclusionsThe phenotype of ATTR-CM includes significant infiltration of the atrial walls, with progressive loss of atrial function and increased stiffness, which is a strong independent predictor of mortality. AEMD emerged as a distinctive phenotype identifying patients in SR with poor prognosis.
| S-EPMC8724534 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Cardiac allograft vasculopathy is still a major issue, with significative mortality in heart transplant patients, and the best therapeutic options are not yet established. The progressively higher survival rates after transplantation have made it a major concern. This is a case report about a patient who underwent cardiac transplantation due to chagasic cardiomiopathy. During an endomyocardial biopsy more than 2 years after the transplant, the patient arrested in ventricular fibrillation, with ST-elevation in anterior leads after defibrillation. The angiography showed total occlusion of proximal left anterior descending artery, promptly treated with primary angioplasty, with excellent angiographic and clinical results.
| S-EPMC3771468 | biostudies-literature