HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Palacios-Prü, E. Articles by Espinoza, R. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Palacios-Prü, E. Articles by Espinoza, R.

Ultrastructural Characteristics of Different Stages of Human Chagasic Myocarditis

Myocardial damage was analyzed in the different stages of Chagas' disease. Myocardial biopsies from chagasic patients, whose clinical histories were initially unknown to the examiner, were examined and evaluated by electron microscopy using a table in which 244 characteristics were considered. When the ultrastructural results were associated with their respective clinical reports, it was found that Chagas' disease stages showed significant myocardium damage between stages IA and II:IA (normal EKG and cineventriculogram), 13.0%; IB (early left ventricular damage with normal EKG), 14.5%; II (advanced left ventricular damage, abnormal EKG), 25.5%; stage III (congestive heart failure) showed a decrement to 22.5% if compared with stage II. The acute stage of the illness was characterized by the presence of the parasites within the myocytes which were surrounded by inflammatory cell infiltrate. During Chagas' disease evolution the most affected organelle was the sarcoplasmic reticulum.