Cardiac transplantation.
Cardiac transplantation offers an excellent chance of long-term survival and functional rehabilitation for the carefully selected patient with end-stage heart disease. The part played by the pathologist in the care of these patients is crucial. It is vital to make the diagnosis of acute rejection before it becomes irreversible and also before it causes chronic damage to the coronary arteries. It is also vital that the pathologist does not either miss the diagnosis of an infectious myocarditis in the immunosuppressed patient or misdiagnose myocarditis as rejection, because the treatments for each one of these conditions are diametrically opposed. The role of the pathologist has become one of an important clinical colleague in the management and survival of patients with cardiac allografts.
Billingham
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D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006084:Graft Rejection; D016027:Heart Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000473:pathology*