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Updated: May 18, 2026

Isolation and Functional Characterization of Human Ventricular Cardiomyocytes from Fresh Surgical Samples
Published on: April 21, 2014
[Cardiomyocyte structural rearrangement in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy and valvular heart disease]
Insights
Dilated cardiomyopathy and valvular heart disease cause cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and lengthening. These structural changes in heart muscle cells correlate with reduced left ventricle ejection fraction.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Cell Biology
- Pathology
Abstract:
Light and electron microscopies were used to analyze cardiomyocyte structural changes in the dilated left ventricle in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy and valvular heart diseases. The patients were found to have cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and ultrastructural rearrangement with a tissue-specific reduction. There was hypertrophic cardiomyocyte lengthening that continued after these cells stopped growing thicker, as well as occurred due to the loss of myofibrils, which increased during the cell rearrangement, and directly correlated with the lower ejection fraction and higher end-systolic volume of the left ventricle.
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