Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) is an inflammatory disorder that occurs after a throat infection with group A β-hemolytic streptococcus infection (GAS). Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is a chronic disorder in which the heart valves are damaged after an episode of…
Spectrum of Cardioembolism The heart and the aorta are the sources of cardioembolism to any organ. Major clinical presentations involve either acute neurologic dysfunction—transient ischemic attack (TIA) or stroke—or peripheral vascular disease (e.g., acute limb ischemia, splenic or renal infarcts).…
Endomyocardial fibrosis (EMF) is a restrictive cardiomyopathy that was first described as an independent pathological entity in 1948 by John N.P. Davies of Makerere University in Uganda. At necropsy, he found a series of hearts that had dense scarring of…
Infiltrative cardiomyopathies (ICMOs) are a form of restrictive cardiomyopathy that may be caused by either hereditary or acquired diseases. They are characterized by the deposition of abnormal substances within the myocardium that cause stiffening of the left ventricular (LV) walls.…
Left ventricular noncompaction (LVNC) is characterized by the presence of prominent left ventricular (LV) trabeculae with adjacent deep intertrabecular recesses overlying a thin compacted layer of myocardium. There are several controversies relating to LVNC, including whether LVNC is a genetic…