J.Jpn. Surg. Soc.. 82(4): 337-341, 1981

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Original article

THE LONG-TERMED MORPHOLOGICAL CHANGE IN THE LEFT VENTRICULAR MYOCARDIUM FOLLOWING OPEN HEART SURGERY

This study was aimed to characterize the long-termed effect of open heart surgery upon the left ventricular myocardium. The long-termed morphological changes of the left ventricle was investigated at the time of the second surgery 4 months to 7 years following the first operation. 5 cases of rheumatic valvular diseases which underwent valve replacement as the second operation and one case that survived coronary revascularization for three months were studied by the morphology of the papillary muscle or the endocardial layer of the left ventricle. Diffuse fibrosis in the endocardial layer of the left ventricle was demonstrated in addition to perivascular fibrosis which is consistent with the findings of rheumatic myocarditis, however, myocardial fibrosis by aging was ruled out. Our result suggests that topical cooling or cold cardioplegia associated with hypothermia results in the endocardial fibrosis in the human myocardium in the late postoperative period following open heart surgery.

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