Isolated Atrial Neutrophilic Myocarditis: A Rare Cause of Death and Potential “Blind Spot” for Postmortem Computed Tomography and Postmortem Examination

We report a fatal case of isolated neutrophilic atrial myocarditis affecting only the left atrium in a 33-year-old woman presenting as a sudden unexpected death. Microscopy of the left atrium, a not commonly sampled area of the heart, showed florid neutrophilic myocarditis with the remaining right atrium, conduction system, and both ventricles uninvolved. Similar to previously reported fatal isolated atrial lymphocytic myocarditis, postmortem computed tomography was unable to detect any atrial abnormalities. This case highlights a potential “blind spot” for both routine postmortem imaging and examination.
Source: The American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology - Category: Forensic Medicine Tags: Case Reports Source Type: research