The pathology of transplanted hearts

In summary, cardiac transplantation offers an excellent chance of long-term survival and functional rehabilitation for the carefully selected patient with end-stage cardiac disease. At this time, the morphological index of acute rejection by endomyocardial biopsy is still the only reliable one. For the future, it is hoped that a satisfactory consensus on grading systems for the biopsy can be worked out so that better correlations with treatment can be made. It is also to be hoped that a reliable noninvasive technique can be found to monitor acute rejection, particularly for children and infants. Lastly, one of the most important priorities in heart transplantation is to produce the exact etiology, pathology, and prevention of graft coronary disease.