Histological Features of Endomyocardial Biopsies in Patients undergoing Hemodialysis: Comparison with Dilated Cardiomyopathy and Hypertensive Heart Disease

ABSTRACT Background Heart failure is a frequently occurring complication in patients on maintenance hemodialysis (HD). However, the histological features of right ventricular endomyocardial biopsy (RVEMB) samples remain unclear. Methods The clinical characteristics and histological findings of consecutive patients undergoing HD with available RVEMB samples (HD group; n = 28) were retrospectively compared with those of patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (n = 56) and hypertensive heart disease (n = 15). Results The mean myocyte diameter was significantly larger in the HD group than in the other groups (p Conclusions Myocyte hypertrophy, macrophage infiltration, and reduced capillary density were characteristic histological features of the RVEMB samples in patients undergoing HD, which may be related to the pathogenesis of cardiac dysfunction.