Abstract
BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained clinical arrhythmia. Myocardial sleeves onto pulmonary veins (PVs) have been recognized as a frequent site of origin of focal triggers for this arrhythmia. Expression of Leu-7 has been hypothesized to correspond with abnormal atrial automaticity.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate a possible role of the Leu-7 immunoreactivity in AF patients, we studied Leu-7 expression in myocardial sleeves.
METHODS: Leu-7 was studied immunohistochemically in paraffin-embedded specimens from 55 human autopsied hearts (mean age 69 years, range 42-94 years, 34 males, 21 females). Twenty-two of the subjects had previous history of AF.
RESULTS: Myocardial sleeves were found in 151 out of a total number of 220 PVs (68.6%). Leu-7 granular cytoplasmatic positivity was observed in 15 (9.9%) PVs from 12 different hearts: 6 (15.4%) in the right superior, 4 (10.2%) in the right inferior, 4 (10.8%) in the left superior and 1 (2.7%) in the left inferior PV. This finding was revealed both in patients with and without the history of AF.
CONCLUSIONS: Leu-7 positivity, hypothesized to correspond with abnormal atrial automaticity, can be detected in some myocardial sleeves around PVs. However, no statistical relationship to previous history of AF was found.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 263-6 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Cardiovascular pathology |
| Volume | 12 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| Publication status | Published - 26 Sept 2003 |
Keywords
- Adult
- Aged
- Aged, 80 and over
- Atrial Fibrillation
- CD57 Antigens
- Cytoplasmic Granules
- Female
- Humans
- Immunoenzyme Techniques
- Journal Article
- Male
- Middle Aged
- Myocardium
- Neurosecretory Systems
- Pulmonary Veins
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't