Microvasculopathy observed in early or late endomyocardial biopsies is not related to angiographically confirmed transplanted heart coronary vasculopathy.

INTRODUCTION

The aim of the study was to examine the potential relation between microvasculopathy observed in endomyocardial biopsies (EMBs) and clinical coronary vasculopathy (CAV) after orthotopic heart transplantation (OHT).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We preformed a retrospective analysis involving 68 OHT patients in whom the procedure was performed before 1999. The CAV(+) group consisted of 37 subjects (35 males/2 females) of overall mean age of 45 +/- 11 years. Ischemic cardiomyopathy was the diagnosis in 57% of the cohort that displayed CAV established by angioplasty, myocardial infarction, or CAV-related death. The control group contained 31 subjects (24 male/7 female) of overall mean age of 43 +/- 16 years. The pretransplant diagnosis was ischemic c-pathy in 39%. These subjects displayed negative coronary angiography at 10 years after OHT. Based upon studies early after OHT 55 subjects were divided based on the myocardial blush grade (MBG) upon coronary angiography performed between 4th and 6th week after surgery: one cohort of six individuals showed decreased MBG (6 males) of mean age 52 +/- 7 years. There was prior ischemic c-pathy in 50%. In contrast, 49 subjects showed a normal MBG (43 males/67 females) of overall mean age of 45 +/- 12 years. Ischemic c-pathy had been present in 39%. Microvasculopathy was defined as the presence of prominent endothelial cells, vacuolation of the endothelium, thickening of the basal membrane and/or muscle layer, the presence of lymphocytes in the arteriolar wall, periarteriolar fibrosis, or stenotic arteriolar lumenia in the 12- and 36 month EMB (CAV groups) or the 4-week EMB (MBG groups).

RESULTS

Rejection grades were comparable in CAV(+) and CAV(-) groups, but decreased in normal MBG group. The only significant difference was observed in the occurrence of basal membrane thickening, which was present in 22% of subjects from the CAV(+) group and 3% of individuals from the CAV(-) group in the 12-month EMB.

CONCLUSION

Microvasculopathy observed early or late after OHT was not related to angiographically confirmed CAV.