Morphological and clinical aspects of isolated right ventricular myocardial infarction [Aspetti morfologici e clinici nell'infarto miocardico ventricolare destro isolato]

In an autopsy study of 2569 subjects, during the period 1971-1988, 289 cases of myocardial infarction were found. On the basis of morphological and histological data 8 (2.8%) of such cases were diagnosed as isolated right ventricular myocardial infarction. Clinical data relating to these 8 cases were also considered. The right ventricular myocardial infarction may be secondary to acute or chronic pulmonary hypertension, in the setting of massive pulmonary thromboembolism or cor pulmonale, especially in the presence of right ventricular hypertrophy and with normal or stenotic coronary arteries. Isolated right ventricular myocardial infarction is clinically underestimated due to the great difficult to make a correct diagnosis in life. The low accuracy of the standard electrocardiographic records does not allow to pose a diagnosis of isolated right ventricular myocardial infarction.