Original scientific paper

https://doi.org/10.20471/acc.2018.57.01.15

Presence of Intramyocardial Fat Tissue in the Right Atrium and Right Ventricle – Postmortem Human Analysis

Kristina Selthofer-Relatić orcid.org/0000-0002-9890-6489 ; Department of Cardiovascular Disease, Osijek University Hospital Centre, Osijek, Croatia; Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Osijek, Croati
Tatjana Belovari ; Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek
Nikola Bijelić orcid.org/0000-0003-4136-820X ; Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Osijek, Croatia
Aleksandar Kibel ; Department of Cardiovascular Disease, Osijek University Hospital Centre, Osijek, Croatia; Department of Physiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Osijek, Croatia
Jasmina Rajc orcid.org/0000-0003-4007-8390 ; Department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine, Osijek University Hospital Centre, Osijek, Croatia

Abstract

Histologic and radiologic studies describe intramyocardial fat tissue as a normal finding or as part of cardiac pathology. The role of fat cells within the myocardium is not fully understood. The aim of this study was to assess fat tissue distribution in the myocardium of right atrium (RA) and right ventricle (RV) and age differences in subjects free from cardiac disease. The study included 10 males without cardiac disease divided into two groups according to age (below/above 50 years). Three cross sections were performed (RV free wall and apex and RA free wall) with histomorphological analysis on digital photographs. The shares of total myocardial fat (TMF), perivascular fat (PVF) and non-perivascular (nPVF) fat were calculated. Samples from the older group had larger amounts of fat in the epicardium and myocardium, without statistically significant difference (TMF p=0.847, PVF p=0.4 and nPVF p=0.4). The largest quantities of fat tissue were found in the RV apex samples (14.9%), followed by RV free wall (7.5%) and RA (4.5%), where total apical RV fat share was significantly larger than in RA sample (p=0.044). Intramyocardial fat cells were present within the non-diseased RA and RV in all samples, mostly in the apex. Further investigations on age difference, effect of visceral obesity and sex differences are needed.

Keywords

Myocardium – pathology; Pericardium – pathology; Heart atria; Heart ventricles; Heart diseases; Adipose tissue – pathology

Hrčak ID:

202194

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/202194

Publication date:

1.3.2018.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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