Cardiovascular System Pathology Flashcards

Concentric left ventricular hypertrophy without dilation is most typical of which cardiomyopathy pattern?

Answer: Hypertensive/pressure-overload hypertrophy

Pressure overload (e.g., hypertension, aortic stenosis) causes concentric hypertrophy with parallel sarcomere addition.

Myofiber disarray on histology is the hallmark of which condition?

Answer: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy shows haphazard myofiber and myofibril disarray, often with sarcomeric gene mutations.

Apple-green birefringence under polarized light after Congo red staining indicates deposition of what?

Answer: Amyloid

Amyloid shows apple-green birefringence with Congo red and causes restrictive cardiomyopathy.

Which infectious agent is classically associated with dilated cardiomyopathy in South America?

Answer: Trypanosoma cruzi

Chagas disease (Trypanosoma cruzi) is a leading cause of dilated cardiomyopathy in endemic regions.

Fibrofatty replacement of the right ventricular myocardium is characteristic of which disorder?

Answer: Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy

ARVC features fibrofatty replacement of RV myocardium, predisposing to arrhythmias and sudden death.

A boggy, dilated heart with a mixed inflammatory infiltrate and myocyte necrosis on biopsy most suggests which diagnosis?

Answer: Lymphocytic myocarditis

Lymphocytic (often viral) myocarditis shows interstitial lymphocytic infiltrate with adjacent myocyte necrosis.

Cardiac hemochromatosis leads to which functional pattern, and iron is best demonstrated by which stain?

Answer: Restrictive/dilated pattern; Prussian blue stain

Iron overload causes a restrictive-then-dilated cardiomyopathy, and Prussian blue highlights myocyte iron.