Morpho-pathological alterations of the cardio-vascular system in violent death cases

A.M. Berinde, G. Gluhovschi, A. Enache, V. Luta, C. Vernic, D. Lungu, E. Potencz

Abstract: Our study focuses on the main indicators of cardio-vascular disease (main cause of death in middle-aged and older adults) in all cases of violent deaths autopsied in our institute over a specific period of time. We studied 1620 autopsy reports on violent death adult cases, autopsied over a five-year period in our institute. We focused on the associations of the following morpho-pathological alterations: atherosclerotic (ATS) alterations of the coronaries (CA), of the aorta (Ao), left ventricle hypertrophy (LVH), myocardial infarction (MI) scars, fibrosis of the valve and chordae tendineae, myocardial fibrosis (MF), cardiac hypertrophy (CHT). Our data shows that the thickness of the LV wall is proportionally decreasing with the increase of the gravity of the coronary lesions. 91.5% of the cases with MF, presented ATS plaques on the aorta, 56% on the coronaries, 11.5% MI scars and 33.5% LVH. The association of valvular fibrosis and fibrosis of the cordae tendineae appeared in 31% cases - 48% of cases with MF. Only 1% of cases with LVH had normal coronaries. In 33% of our caseload CHT was present, all of them presented coronary and aortic ATS and MF. Only 18% of cases had MI scars. LVH appeared in 47% of CHT cases. MI scars were found 8% cases.
Keywords: violent death, atheromatosis, myocardial fibrosis, left ventricle hypertrophy