Evaluation of cardiac troponin I immunoreaction in autopsy hearts: a possible marker of early myocardial infarction.
Postmortem diagnosis of early myocardial infarctions is an ever recurrent problem in pathology. In the present study we determined the troponin I expression in 46 autopsy hearts using an immunohistochemical technique. Troponin I has, as a specific cardiac muscle protein, become a widespread used marker in testing patients with acute chest pain. The hearts were divided into three groups based on the macroscopical findings: definite signs of infarction, possible signs of infarction and no signs of infarction. All 14 cases of definite myocardial infarction showed a well-defined area with loss of troponin I. Twenty-three of 24 cases of possible myocardial infarction also showed a well-defined area with loss of troponin I. None of the eight non-cardiac death controls showed loss of troponin I expression. The results suggest troponin I expression as a sensitive test in diagnosis of early myocardial infarction.
Hansen
S H
SH
Department of Pathology, Hillerød Sygehus, Denmark.
Rossen
K
K
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001329:Autolysis / Q000473:pathology; D001344:Autopsy; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002423:Cause of Death; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013997:Time Factors; D019210:Troponin I / Q000032:analysis*
D015415:Biomarkers; D019210:Troponin I