Ultrastructure of electrophysiologically identified human sinoatrial nodes

The ultrastructure of freshly excised human sinus node tissue was studied. In three female patients (ages 20, 30, and 36 years) medically refractory disabling episodes of inappropriate sinus tachycardia were surgically treated by extirpation of the sinus node. Each patient underwent intraoperative electrophysiological mapping to determine the area of earliest atrial activation. This area corresponded anatomically to the region of the sinoatrial node and was excised in each patient, the defect repaired using a pericardial patch. The freshly excised SA nodes underwent ultrastructural study. Three types of myocardial cells were identified: pacemaker or polygonal cells with clear cytoplasm, few mitochondria and sparse numbers of contractile elements (P cells); a transitional cell with slightly increased numbers of myofibrils (T cells); and typical atrial myocardial cells with normal numbers of contractile elements. These cell types have previously been identified in post-mortem studies of presumed SA node. The current study confirms the cell types in electrophysiologically documented SA nodes. The one abnormal finding observed in transitional cells in all patients was an increased number of lipofuscin-laden vacuoles. These vacuoles are considered a sign of cell degeneration and their occurrence was totally unexpected in these young adults. In summary, ultrastructural study of electrophysiologically documented human SA nodes confirmed the cell types identified in post-mortem studies. Furthermore, lipofuscin-laden vacuoles were increased in these three patients and this finding may serve as an ultrastructural marker associated with the syndrome of inappropriate sinus tachycardia.