Incidence of double-nucleated heart muscle fibers in hearts with dilated cardiomyopathy and secondary pressure or volume-induced hypertrophy
Schüpbach, R.; Schneider, J.
Zeitschrift für Kardiologie 77(12): 780-783
1988
ISSN/ISBN: 0300-5860 PMID: 3074596 Document Number: 313946
Highly differentiated tissue as myocardium grows by amitosis. This direct nuclear partition is mirrored in double-nuclear muscle fibers. In this study we compared the occurrence of double-nuclear muscle fibers in normal hearts (n = 26) with the relations for primary (n = 17) and for secondary (n = 20) hypertrophy. In normal myocardium we found an average of 9.2 +/- 0.8% of double nuclei. Hearts hypertrophic due to valvular disease or systemic hypertension show higher (14.9 +/- 2.7) dilative cardiomyopathies (primary hypertrophy) and a significantly lower (5.4 +/- 0.7) number of double nuclei. Double nuclear counting is a simple method to distinguish a primary from a secondary hypertrophy in uncertain cases. The biological consequence of this difference, however, is not yet clear.