Ultrasound and histopathological features of myocardial involvement in HIV infection in children

Vol. 55 No. 3 Suppl., 2014
This supplement was not sponsored by Outside Organizations.

ROMANIAN JOURNAL of MORPHOLOGY and EMBRYOLOGY

Anca Meda Georgescu, Cosmin Moldovan, Leonard Azamfirei, Dan Georgescu

Aim: HIV infection in children is an important clinical and pathologic entity, which embraces many forms of presentation and can involve multiple organs and systems. This study aimed at identifying the main forms of cardiovascular involvement in HIV-infected children with horizontally transmitted disease and describing them with the aid of ultrasound and histopathological examinations. Results: We recorded cardiovascular anomalies in 79 (67.52%) patients out of the 117 comprised in the study population, and noted the following prevalence distribution: systolic dysfunction in 49 (41.88%) patients, left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in 30 (25.6%) patients, right ventricular hypertrophy (RVH) in 15 (12.82%) patients, and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in 22 (18.8%) patients. We also carried out post-mortem histopathological examinations in five patients, and observed the main modification incurred by the disease. Conclusions: Cardiac involvement during HIV infection differs significantly in different mechanisms of virus transmission, and the horizontal transmission of HIV yields a lower prevalence of this type of pathology. The general diagnostic picture can be significantly improved by adding histopathological examination to the ultrasonographic method of investigation.

Corresponding author: Cosmin Moldovan, Lecturer, MD, PhD; e-mail: cosmin.moldovan@umftgm.ro

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ROMANIAN JOURNAL of MORPHOLOGY and EMBRYOLOGY

Eugenia Morosan, Maria Sultana Mihailovici, Simona Eliza Giusca, Elena Cojocaru, Elena-Roxana Avadanei, Irina-Draga Caruntu, Sergiu Teleman

The aim of our study was to investigate comparatively the steatotic background in viral chronic hepatitis B, C and mixed types, in correlation with the severity degree of specific liver lesions. The study group consisted of 1206 liver biopsy specimens, etiologically diagnosed as hepatitis C - 1021 (84.66%) cases, hepatitis B - 100 (8.29%) cases, hepatitis B and C - 39 (3.23%) cases, hepatitis B and D - 39 (3.23%) cases, hepatitis C and toxicity - six (0.49%) cases, hepatitis B, C and D - one case (0.08%). The histopathological assessment focused on the steatotic lesions associated with inflammation and fibrosis. The cases were classified according to necrosis and inflammatory activity (score between 0-12) and fibrosis (score between 0-4). Our data indicates significant association of steatotic lesions in hepatitis C (76.59%) as opposed to other types of viral hepatitis. In mixed hepatitis B and C, steatotic lesions are more frequent (66.66%) than in chronic hepatitis B (47%) and in mixed chronic B and D hepatitis (48.72%). Steatosis was present in all cases with chronic hepatitis C and associated toxicity. These observations confirm the important aggressiveness of hepatitis C virus as opposed to hepatitis B and D virus. The analysis of the pattern of steatosis in correlation with necrosis and inflammatory activity and fibrosis, respectively, lead to the identification of certain specific elements. Thus, for all types of hepatitis, steatosis is associated predominantly with moderate severity (score 6-8) and progressive expansion of fibrosis (score 2-3). The presence of steatosis does not define hepatic lesions with severe inflammation (score 9-12) nor those with extended fibrosis (score 4). The type of steatosis present is mostly macrovesicular, the transformation into lipid cysts being uncommon. Based on the scoring systems applied in the evaluation of the entire investigated study group, we believe that a possible inclusion of a quantifiable criterion for steatosis could be beneficial in order to complete the characterization of the severity of the lesions, from the point of view of the potential for future evolution, reversible or irreversible._x000D_

Corresponding author: Irina-Draga Caruntu, Professor of Histology, MD, PhD; e-mail: irinadragacaruntu@gmail.com

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