Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40365734›Full record

ArticleCurrent medical imaging2025

Post-mortem Cardiac MRI in Sudden Cardiac Death: The Interesting Intertwining of Radiology and Histology to Diagnose Arrhythmic Death or Myocardial Infarction.

Giuseppe Bertozzi, Michela Ferrara, Aniello Maiese, Aldo Di Fazio, Donato Morena, Martina Padovano, Matteo Scopetti, Raffaele La Russa, Vittorio Fineschi

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Article in Current medical imaging, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

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2citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Giuseppe BertozziSIC Medicina Legale Basilicata, Via Potito Petrone, 85100, Potenza, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-8179-1072
Michela FerraraDepartment of Anatomical, Histological, Forensic and Orthopedic Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-3665-2273
Aniello MaieseDepartment of Surgical Pathology, Medical, Molecular and Critical Area, Institute of Legal Medicine, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-0529-4349
Aldo Di FazioSIC Medicina Legale Basilicata, Via Potito Petrone, 85100, Potenza, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-7362-260X
Donato MorenaDepartment of Anatomical, Histological, Forensic and Orthopedic Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-6473-7632
Martina PadovanoDepartment of Anatomical, Histological, Forensic and Orthopedic Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-2452-7926
Matteo ScopettiDepartment of Medical Surgical Sciences and Translational Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00189 Rome, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-7259-3090
Raffaele La RussaDepartment of Clinical Medicine, Public Health, Life and Environment Science, University of L'Aquila, 67100 L'Aquila, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-3433-7122
Vittorio FineschiDepartment of Anatomical, Histological, Forensic and Orthopedic Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-1686-3236

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionAlthough the "conventional" autopsy is still considered the "gold standard" for the definition of the cause of death, an emerging interest in noninvasive cadaveric investigations is spreading. Among all these, the application of post-mortem magnetic resonance imaging of the heart is increasingly gaining ground in the study of sudden cardiac death.

methodsUsing the diffusion tensor imaging sequence, the present study aimed to demonstrate how through the fractional anisotropy value it is possible to qualitatively and quantitatively define sudden cardiac death, particularly in cases of sudden arrhythmic death syndrome. Four hearts were collected for the present pilot study: the first from a subject who died from a brain injury caused by a gunshot, and the other three hearts from subjects who died of sudden cardiac death. In all cases examined, the extracted hearts were hung inside a container containing 10% formalin solution and placed inside a 1.5T scanner with a 16-channel chest coil. Then, the cardiac diffusion tensor imaging sequence was performed and the quantitative maps of fractional anisotropy and apparent diffusion coefficient were obtained. After imaging analysis, the samples were processed, paraffin-embedded, and stained with hematoxylin and eosin and trichrome staining. Cases B, C, and D showed lower fractional anisotropy values than nonpathological one.

resultsHistological investigation revealed extensive areas of fibrosis and foci of contraction band necrosis in heart B, myofiber disarray and interstitial fibrosis in heart C, and findings consistent with atonic death in heart D.

conclusionThe study aimed to demonstrate that in cases of sudden cardiac death, lower fractional anisotropy values, as already observed in clinical trials, are associated with arrhythmic heart disease or myocardial infarction. Quantitative, appreciable, and reproducible data could support such diagnoses.

Indexed as

Arrhythmias, CardiacDeath, Sudden, CardiacDiffusion Tensor ImagingMagnetic Resonance ImagingMyocardial InfarctionAdultAutopsyFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedMyocardiumPilot ProjectsArrhythmic deathCardiac diffusion tensor imagingFractional anisotropyMyocardial infarction.Post-mortem magnetic resonanceSudden cardiac death

Identifiers

PMID40365734
PMCPMC13080433

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