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Updated: May 13, 2026
Heterotopic Heart Transplantation in Mice
Published on: July 19, 2007
CT-guided biopsy in heterotopic heart transplant: A case report
Isaac Tea1, Stephanie Fuentes Rojas1, Varshni Nandakumar2
1Department of Cardiology, Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart and Vascular Center, Houston, Texas.
Insights
Heterotopic heart transplantation, a parallel donor heart technique, can offer advantages for select patients. Advanced imaging guidance facilitated a safe myocardial biopsy in a long-term recipient, aiding in rejection assessment.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Transplantation Surgery
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Heterotopic heart transplantation, where a donor heart is placed in parallel to the recipient's native heart, is an underutilized surgical approach.
- This technique has potential physiologic and immunologic benefits for specific heart transplant candidates.
Background:
Heterotopic heart transplantation is a surgical technique that has not been embraced broadly. In this historic technique, the donor heart is sutured in parallel to the recipient heart with both hearts in place.
Case Summary:
We report a patient who received a heterotopic heart transplant at our institution more than 15 years ago with preserved cardiac function and who needed a myocardial biopsy due to heart failure symptoms. Due to complex anatomy, a cardiac computed tomography imaging reconstruction was used to create a live roadmap overlay on fluoroscopy during myocardial biopsy. Such a technique facilitated obtaining a biopsy successfully and safely to rule out rejection.
Discussion:
Heterotopic heart transplantation is a surgical procedure that has a potential physiologic and immunologic advantage in select patients needing a heart transplant. Utilizing imaging guidance for navigating complex anatomy to perform a myocardial biopsy can have potential applications in providing safe and increasing yield in patchy diseases of the heart.
