The heart muscle is known as the myocardium. If your doctor suspects a problem with your heart muscle, you may need a biopsy. This involves removing a small piece of tissue for examination. A heart biopsy is known as a myocardial biopsy.

This biopsy uses a small catheter called a bioptometo remove a small piece of heart tissue. This is a special type of catheter used to take a biopsy. It has jaws on the end that can remove a piece of tissue.

This procedure looks for disease or damage in the heart muscle. It can help diagnose:

• cardiomyopathy: deterioration of the heart muscle, which can be due to a number of conditions
• myocarditis: inflammation of the heart muscle
• rejection after a heart transplant: your immune system causes tissue damage that your doctor can see under a microscope

How Is a Myocardial Biopsy Performed?

You will receive a hospital gown to wear during the biopsy. A nurse will start an intravenous line in your hand or arm. This will deliver fluids to keep you hydrated. It can also deliver medication if your blood pressure drops or if your heartbeat becomes abnormal.

You will lie on a table with a large camera above you, along with several monitors. A surgeon will make an incision in your neck, arm, or groin, depending on whether you’re having another surgery. If you aren’t having another procedure, it will probably be in the neck. Location of the incision also depends on the part of the heart your doctor wants to sample.

You will receive a local anesthetic at the incision site. This will numb it, since you won’t be unconscious for the procedure. The surgeon will insert a hollow tube into your blood vessel to hold it open. You may feel some pressure or discomfort.

Once the tube is in place, the surgeon will insert the bioptome. They will thread it through your blood vessels until it reaches your heart. The doctor will guide it there using a special type of moving X-ray called fluoroscopy.

Once in the correct location, the doctor will take a small sample of your heart muscle tissue. Then they’ll remove the bioptome and apply pressure to the insertion site. The whole procedure takes 30 to 60 minutes.

The medical staff will monitor your condition for a period of time after the procedure. The doctors will want to be sure you’re stable enough to be on your own. As you won’t be able to drive, someone else will need to take you home after the biopsy.

Complications Associated with a Myocardial Biopsy

You’ll need to sign a consent form prior to the procedure that will outline the risks of the biopsy. A myocardial biopsy may seem scary. However, with an experienced doctor, complications are rare.

Some potential risks include:

• blood clots
• bleeding
• abnormal heart rhythm
• infection
• collapsed lung
• injury to the artery
• damage to the nerve that controls speech
• rupture of the heart (extremely rare)

Surgical Pathology and Diagnosis is a peer-reviewed medical journal published by Oxford University Press covering research on the pathogenesis, clinical investigation, medical microbiology, diagnosis, immune mechanisms, and treatment of diseases.

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Eliza Grace

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Journal of Surgical Pathology and Diagnosis