Sudden death in an alcoholic with intramyocardial small vessel disease

A case of sudden death in an alcoholic with intramyocardial small vessel disease is reported. The histological findings and their medicolegal significance are discussed. In particular, emphasis is placed on the importance of histological examination of the intramyocardial small vessels in alcoholic subjects dying suddenly and in whom no obvious satisfactory cause of death is found at necropsy.