Histopathological and Morphometric Study of Fibrosis and Nuclear Pleomorphism in Dilated Cardiomyopathy

Histopathological changes associated with dilated cardiomyopathy (CMD) are frequently nonspecific and often only present in the terminal stage of the disease. The study followed the histopathological and morphometric quantification of fibrosis and nuclear pleomorphism in CMD. We analyzed left ventricle myocardial fragments harvested during autopsy, from 35 cases with clinical diagnosis of CMD and 5 cases of normal myocardium. Fibrosis was present in all CMD cases, with higher values compared with control cases. Nuclear pleomorphism was identified in 18 cases (45%), two of the analyzed parameters, respectively the ratio of nuclear diameters and roundness of nucleus, revealing significant differences in CMD compared to the control cases. Myocardial fibrosis present in all cases of CMD represents a major feature of the disease. The nuclear pleomorphism due to the nuclei change in diameters and size was more pronounced in the vicinity of fibrosis areas, possibly related to this alteration.