1/26/99

Pathology II

 

Chronic rheumatic heart disease

-irreversible valve deformity-scarring effects

-most common cause of mitral stenosis

     -more common in females (reason unknown)

     -"fish-mouth" deformity of valve orifice

     -left atrial hypertrophy

     -mural thrombi

-aortic valvulitis-stenonsis

     -more common in males

     -pressure load on LV-hypertrophy

     -leads to LVF

Fig 11-14

Clinical Features

-10 days to 6 weeks after group A strep pharyngitis

-peak incidence - 5-15 yrs/o

 

 

Calcific Aortic Stenosis

-degenerative changes due to aging

-degenerative calcific aortic stenosis (dcas)-most common cause of isolated aortic stenosis in US

-may occur on normal valve or congenitally bicuspid or unicuspid valve

-usually asympotmatic and detected incidentally on chest x-ray

fig 11-15

 

Clinical Findings

--harsch crescendo-decrescendo systolic murmur

-LV hypertrophy develops

-angina - increase myocardial need for oxygen

-syncope-decrease perfusion of the brain

-CHF-later stages

-untreated-death in 3-4 years after symptom onset from CHF or a lethal arrhythmia

-surgical valve replacement is needed

 

Mitral Valve Prolapse

-most common cause of isolated mitral regurgitation

-occurs in  about 5% of general adult population

-more cases in women-ages 20-40 yrs

-loose ground substance in valve leaflets and chordae

-valve is "floppy" and incompetence during systole

-may be isolated, non-familial abnormality

-Marfan's syndrome or other connective tissue disorder

 

Morphology

-valve cusps (posterior)

 

Clinical Features

 

Nonbacterial Thrombotic Endocarditis (nbte)

-AKA marantic Endocarditis-due to its appearance in cachectic patients

-sterile vegetations on previously normal valves

-not well understood

     -subtle endothelial abnormalities

     -hypercoagulable states

-malignancies (adenocarcinomas) in 50% of patients who possess other hypercoagulable features-deep vein thrombosis

-nbte lesions my heal-leaving fibrous strands called Lambi's excrescence

fig 11-17a&b

 

Ineffective Endocarditis

-infection of cardiac valves or mural surface of endocardium form in a vegetation (adherent mass of thrombotic debris and organisms)

-classic forms

     1.  acute Endocarditis-caused by highly virulent organism like Staphylococcus aurous can affect normal valves

     2.  subacute endocarditis-caused by less virulent organism-alpha hemolytic streptococci-previously abnormal valves

fig 11-18

 

Etiology

-bacteremia-implanting of organism on endocardial surface

1.

     b.  chronic valvular disease

          1) chronic rheumatic heart disease

          2) DCAS

          3) mitral valve prolapse

2.  Prosthetic heart valves

     -account for 10-20% of infective endocarditis

3.  intravenous drug users--usually normal valves

 

Causative Organisms

--alpha hemolytic strep (50-60%)-endocarditis of native, previously damaged valves

-S. aeures

 

Morphology

-hallmark

Acute Endocarditis

     -vegetations may form bulky lesions and obstruct valves

     -may rapidly destroy valves, more into adjacent myocardium and form ring abscesses

     -systemic emboli-site of infarct may develop abscesses

Subacute

     -firmer lesions, less valvular destruction

     -less erosion of valve

     -systemic emboli-usually do not abscess

 

Clinical

-gradual or explosive

-low-grade fever, malaise, weight loss

-cardiac murmurs are present

-spleen is often enlarged

-systemic emboli are common

     -neurologic defects

     -retinal abnormalities

     -necrosis of the digits

     -petcechiae in skin or mucosa

     -splinter hemorrhages

     -renal lesions

 

Primary Myocardial Diseases

-intrinsic myocardial disease-less frequent cause of disease

-myocarditis and cardiomyopathies most important

 

Myocarditis

-inflammation of myocytes

-viral infections-Coxackieviruses A and B, CMV, HIV, less common causes

-Parasites-Chagas's disease (Trypanosoma cruzi)

-bacterial: lyme disease

-cardiac allograft rejection

 

Cardiomyopathies

-heart muscle disease resulting from a primary abnormality in the myocardium

-3 Major Groups

     1.  dilated

-progressive cardiac hypertrophy, dilatation, and contractile (systolic) dysfxn

          -viral infection, alcohol abuse-toxic insult

          -peripartum cardiomyopathy-occurs late in pregnancy or post partum.  Poorly understood

          -idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy--most cases

 

Morphology

-enlarged, flabby heart >900g

-combo of dilation and hypertrophy

-mural thrombi due to blood stasis

Clinical

-ineffective feeble contractions -leading to progressive congestive heart failure

-Tx:  transplant

 

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

     -asymmetric septal hypertrophy

-idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis

-characterized by myocardial hypertrophy, abnormal diastolic filling, intermittent ventricular outflow obstruction

-powerfully contracting heart-pronounced LVH

-50% of cases-inherited autosomal dominant-mutations in gene coding for heavy chain beta-myosin

-associated w/other hereditary disorders-neurofibromatosis

 

Clinical

-basic abnormality-inability to fill the hypertrophic LV

-LV ejection is forceful, but ineffective due to decreased diastolic filling

-angina is common

-increased incidence of ventricular arrhythmia's, sudden death, and infective endocarditis

-common cause of sudden unexplained death in young athletes

 

Restrictive Cardiomyopathy

-primary decrease in ventricular compliance, resulting in impaired ventricular filling during diastole

-stiff, inelastic ventricle-very difficult to fill

-caused by anything that can reduce myocardial compliance

endomyocardial fibrosis-world wide-10% of childhood heart disease

-Loffler'syndrome-eosinophilic endomyocardial fibrosis-rare, tropical form

-other causes-cardiac amyloidosis, hemochromatosis

 

Congenital Heart Disease

-incidence about in 8 in 1000 live births

-genetic factors-trisomies 13, 15, 18, 21, and Turner's syndrome

-environmental factors-congenital rubella infection

-unknown causes in 90% of cases

 

L to R Shunts (cyanosis is a late feature)

-atrial septal defects (asd's)

-ventricular septal defects (vsd's)

-patent ductus arteriosus (pda)

-normal closure--ligamentum arteriosum

 

Atrial Septal Defects

-incidence:  10% of congenital heart defects

-3:2 males:females

-Tx:  surgical closure

-3 types of defects;

     1.  ostium secundum ASD-most common 40%

 

Ventricular Septal Defects

-the most common congenital heart defect

-incidence:  20% of congenital heart lesions-5% may coexist w/other lesions

-variable effects-depends on size-ranges from asymptomatic to congestive heart failure

-Tx:  ranges from spontaneous closure to surgical closure

 

Patent Ductus Arteriousus

-incidence 10%

-abnormal persistent fetal connection b/w L pulmonary artery and descending aorta

-oxygenated blood flows LV--pulmonary aa--lungs--LA (volume over load)

 

R to L shunts (early appearance of cyanosis)

-tetralogy of fallot

-transposition of the great arteries

 

Tetralogy of fallot

-most common cause of cyanotic congenital heart disease

-incidence 8-10%

4 defects

     1.  ventricular septal defect

     2.  pulmonary aa stenosis

     3.  L ventricle hypertrophy

     4.  R aortic valve defect

 

transposition

-abnormal truncal separation results in

     -aorta arising from RV

     -pulmonary aa arises from LV

 

Coarctation of the Aorta

-important obstructive congenital heart disease

-incidence:  5% of congenial heart disease-isolated anomaly in about 50% of cases

-preductoal-infantile coarctation-narrowing of aortic isthmus (b/w left subclavian and ductus arteriosus)

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