Cardiovascular pathology in dialysis patients with spinal cord injury

Necropsy findings were examined in 20 male patients with end-stage renal disease associated with longstanding spinal cord injury and treated with maintenance hemodialysis. All patients exhibited cardiovascular abnormalities. Fibrinous pericarditis was found in 50% of the patients. Left and right ventricular hypertrophy was present in 45% and 20% of the cases, respectively. The respective incidences of left and right ventricular dilatation were 40% and 30%. Cardiac amyloidosis was noted in 25% of the cases, whereas myocardial fibrosis was found in 45% of the patients. Valvular abnormalities were limited to one case of aortic stenosis and two cases of mitral ring dilatation. No evidence of infective endocarditis was observed despite the high incidence of infections in this population. Whereas 45% of the patients exhibited some degree of coronary arteriosclerosis, none exhibited evidence of acute myocardial infarction and only one showed pathologic changes consistent with old myocardial infarction. Aortic atherosclerosis was noted in the majority of patients.