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. 2022 Jan;136(1):245-249.
doi: 10.1007/s00414-021-02730-9. Epub 2021 Nov 28.

Postmortem fluorescence angiography of the explanted human heart

Constantin Lux  1 , Miriam Klinger  2 , Patrick Sauer  2 , Marcel A Verhoff  2 , Mattias Kettner  2
Affiliations

Postmortem fluorescence angiography of the explanted human heart

Constantin Lux et al. Int J Legal Med. 2022 Jan.

Abstract

Within the scope of this technical report, the feasibility of indocyanine green (ICG) as a fluorescent agent for postmortem angiography of the heart is tested. The study included 4 deceased persons with no respective medical history of heart diseases. The basic patterns of findings in ICG fluorescence angiography associated with healthy hearts are presented. The method can easily be integrated into a workflow without restricting the macroscopic or histologic diagnostics. This paper represents the fundamental technical and analytical basis for upcoming studies concerning the possibilities and limitations of fluorescence angiography in the diagnosis of heart pathology.

Keywords: Angiography; Fluorescence; Heart; ICG; Indocyanine green; Postmortem.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Left: Setup prepared for the documentation of ICG-perfused heart with three laser diodes, camera, and filters. Right: Illustrative documentation of the ventral surface of a heart after perfusion
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Regular fluorescence image of the heart. a, b Ventral overviews of the heart of a 12-year-old child (a; case 1) and a 46-year-old woman (b: case 2) without pathologic findings and a typical, deciduous tree-like branching of the coronary arteries; c–d magnification of posterior descending artery (c, case 1) and diagonal branches of the left anterior descending artery (d; case 1) with the typical leave-tree-like branching and presentation of end arterial and capillary vessels; diagonal branches of the left anterior descending artery with fluorescence signal interruption (circle) due to a muscle bridge (e; case 2) and the right marginal artery (f; case 2) without pathologic findings. LAD, left anterior descending artery; Cx, circumflex artery; D1, D2, diagonal branches; RCA, right coronary artery; AM, (right) acute marginal branch; PDA, posterior descending artery; L, left; R, right; P, posterior; A, anterior
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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