Pathological features of biopsied myocardium in patients clinically diagnosed with peripartum cardiomyopathy

• Published in: Medical molecular morphology Vol. 56; no. 1; pp. 58 - 68
• Main Authors: Kawano, Hiroaki, Kawamura, Koichi, Ishijima, Mitsuaki, Abe, Kuniko, Hayashi, Tomayoshi, Eguchi, Masamichi, Miura, Kiyonori, Maemura, Koji
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Singapore Springer Nature Singapore 01.03.2023; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; Anatomy; Biopsy; Cardiomyopathies - diagnosis; Cardiomyopathy; Electron microscopy; Etiology; Fibrosis; Heart diseases; Humans; Hypertension; Hypertension - pathology; Hypertrophy; Leukocytes (eosinophilic); Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Molecular Medicine; Myocarditis; Myocarditis - diagnosis; Myocarditis - pathology; Myocardium; Myocardium - pathology; Original Paper; Pathology; Peripartum Period; Pregnancy; Pregnancy; Myocarditis; Hypertension; Pathology; Peripartum cardiomyopathy; Delivery
• ISSN: 1860-1480; 1860-1499
• DOI: 10.1007/s00795-022-00340-x

The etiology of peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is unknown. Therefore, we evaluated the etiology of patients clinically diagnosed with PPCM using endomyocardial biopsy. We studied five patients diagnosed with PPCM following endomyocardial biopsy (age, 28–42 years; mean age, 35 years). Biopsied samples were evaluated using microscopy, including immunostaining and electron microscopy. The pathological findings were as follows: myocardial hypertrophy, myocardial fibrosis, and cell infiltration. Two patients were diagnosed with lymphocytic myocarditis, one with eosinophilic myocarditis, one with hypertensive heart disease, and one with a combination of hypertension and myocarditis. Endomyocardial biopsy suggested that the causes of PPCM were varied and related to myocarditis and myocardial overload due to hypertension.