Fine structure of normal and diseased heart

Deleterious influence of hypothyroidism on evolving myocardial infarction in conscious dogs

To study the influence of hypometabolism on evolving myocardial infarction in a model with intact autoregulation, we investigated 53 awake dogs after coronary artery occlusion. Severe hypothyroidism was induced by the intravenous administration of 131I. Animals were instrumented to obtain hemodynamic measurements, and regional myocardial blood flow was measured with radioactive microspheres. Infarct size was determined by the creatine kinase depletion method, and dysrhythmia analysis was performed from 24-h Holter monitor tapes in animals matched for infarct size. The microarchitecture of hypothyroid myocardium was determined by the electron microscope. Before coronary occlusion, mean systemic pressure in hypothyroid dogs was reduced by 14% and cardiac output reduced by 32%, with no change in left ventricular end-diastolic pressure, first derivative of left ventricular pressure rise, (dP/dt), or heart rate. After coronary occlusion, there was deterioration in hemodynamic measurements in both groups, with lower absolute levels of mean systemic blood pressure and cardiac output obtained in hypothyroid dogs. Hypothyroidism was detrimental to evolving infarction with a 36% increase in infarct size present in hypothyroid dogs (30 +/- 2%) compared to euthyroid controls (22 +/- 3%), P less than 0.05. Dysrhythmias were more severe in hypothyroid dogs. There were no changes in the relationship between regional myocardial blood flow and the extent of infarction after coronary occlusion. Abnormalities in microarchitecture were present in hypothyroid dog myocardium. Severe hypometabolism in this model was associated with alterations in hemodynamics, more severe dysrhythmias and changes in microarchitecture. The combined effect of these alterations resulted in an overall detrimental influence of hypothyroidism on evolving myocardial necrosis in this model.

The relaxation of sarcomeres in ischemic injury of myocardium

Polarization-microscopic and micrometric investigations of the myocardium during infarction at autopsy and in experimental ischemic conditions, has shown that one of the earliest and most typical morphological signs of ischemic myocardium is sarcomere relaxation. The latter is expressed by the loss of contractility of muscle cells in life time and in strongly frozen corpses, and due to the effects of fixatives. Increase of the percentage of relaxed sarcomeres parallels the duration of experimental ischemia and the time after myocardial infarction. This allows the indirect calculation of irreversible cell change.

Ultrastructure of the myocardium of the atrial appendage

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