Abstract

LUCENA, J. et al. Cardiac lipomatosis and sudden death: Differential diagnosis with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy and lipomatous metaplasia in old myocardial infarction. Cuad. med. forense [online]. 2007, n.50, pp.275-282. ISSN 1988-611X.

The presence of adipose tissue within the myocardium is a relatively common autopsy finding, without being, by itself, enough diagnostic criterion of a particular myocardial disease We present the case of an elderly man, with unknown pathological antecedents, who died suddenly and the autopsy showed, as unique relevant finding, a light-moderate cardiomegaly and fatty infiltration in right and left ventricular myocardium. The coronary arteries had slight atheromatosis with luminal stenosis not superior to 25%. The microscopical study confirmed the diagnosis of myocardial fatty infiltration (cardiac lipomatosis). We analyse the differential diagnosis between three diseases with similar macroscopic features but with both evident clinic and, mainly, histopathological differences: Fatty infiltration of myocardium, arrhythmiogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy/dysplasia (ARVC/D) and lipomatous metaplasia in old myocardial Infarction.

Keywords : Fatty Infiltration; Myocardium; Sudden Death; Forensic Pathology.

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