title: The two extremes of cardiac sarcoidosis and the effect of Prednisone therapy.
abstract: Described herein are clinical and morphologic findings in 2 patients who underwent heart transplantation because of severe heart failure resulting from cardiac sarcoidosis. Although the explanted hearts in each patient had characteristic gross changes of cardiac sarcoidosis, one patient who had been treated with prednisone, had no residual sarcoid granulomas in the myocardium, whereas the other patient, in whom diagnosis was not made until heart transplantation, had innumerable sarcoid granulomas in her heart. This report suggests that prednisone can eliminate sarcoid granulomas in the heart but that their replacement is by dense fibrous tissue, something also likely the result of the granulomas themselves, creating a situation where the treated (prednisone) and the non-treated sarcoid heart may appear similar by gross examination.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, Texas.
authors.forename: Danielle
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Armstrong
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, Texas.
authors.forename: Gonzalo V
authors.initials: GV
authors.lastname: Gonzalez-Stawinski
authors.affiliation: Baylor Heart and Vascular Institute, Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, Texas.
authors.forename: Jong Mi
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine (Division of Cardiology), Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, Texas.
authors.forename: Shelley A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, Texas; Baylor Heart and Vascular Institute, Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, Texas; Department of Internal Medicine (Division of Cardiology), Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, Texas. Electronic address: wc.roberts@baylorhealth.edu.
authors.forename: William C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Roberts
mesh_terms: D001706:Biopsy; D009202:Cardiomyopathies / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000601:surgery; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016027:Heart Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology; D011241:Prednisone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012507:Sarcoidosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000601:surgery
chemical_list: D005938:Glucocorticoids; D011241:Prednisone