Myocytolysis refers to a state of significant damage to

cardiac myocyte Cardiac muscle (also called heart muscle or myocardium) is one of three types of vertebrate muscle tissues, the others being skeletal muscle and smooth muscle. It is an involuntary, striated muscle that constitutes the main tissue of the wall of ...

s, muscle cells of the heart, caused by myocardial strain. It was first described in medical literature by Schlesinger and Reiner in 1955. It is considered a type of cellular

necrosis Necrosis () is a form of cell injury which results in the premature death of cells in living tissue by autolysis. The term "necrosis" came about in the mid-19th century and is commonly attributed to German pathologist Rudolf Virchow, who i ...

. Two types of myocytolysis have been defined: coagulative and colliquative. Coagulative myocytolysis appears in the

myocardium Cardiac muscle (also called heart muscle or myocardium) is one of three types of vertebrate muscle tissues, the others being skeletal muscle and smooth muscle. It is an involuntary, striated muscle that constitutes the main tissue of the wall o ...

near areas of

coagulative necrosis Coagulative necrosis is a type of accidental cell death typically caused by ischemia or infarction. In coagulative necrosis, the architectures of dead tissue are preserved for at least a couple of days. It is believed that the injury denatures stru ...

or areas affected by

myocardial infarction A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

. This phenomenon tends to occur when neighboring

cardiac muscle Cardiac muscle (also called heart muscle or myocardium) is one of three types of vertebrate muscle tissues, the others being skeletal muscle and smooth muscle. It is an involuntary, striated muscle that constitutes the main tissue of the wall o ...

loses its ability to contract (i.e. in

ischemia Ischemia or ischaemia is a restriction in blood supply to any tissue, muscle group, or organ of the body, causing a shortage of oxygen that is needed for cellular metabolism (to keep tissue alive). Ischemia is generally caused by problems ...

infarction Infarction is tissue death (necrosis) due to Ischemia, inadequate blood supply to the affected area. It may be caused by Thrombosis, artery blockages, rupture, mechanical compression, or vasoconstriction. The resulting lesion is referred to as a ...

). The remaining viable muscles, as the result, strain to compensate for the loss of other muscles in order to deliver the necessary

cardiac output In cardiac physiology, cardiac output (CO), also known as heart output and often denoted by the symbols Q, \dot Q, or \dot Q_ , edited by Catherine E. Williamson, Phillip Bennett is the volumetric flow rate of the heart's pumping output: tha ...

. During the process, myocardial cells are stretched and stressed to produce new contractile elements. In colliquative myocytolysis, fluids accumulated within the cell dissolve

myofibril A myofibril (also known as a muscle fibril or sarcostyle) is a basic rod-like organelle of a muscle cell. Skeletal muscles are composed of long, tubular cells known as Skeletal muscle#Skeletal muscle cells, muscle fibers, and these cells contain ...

s, resulting in

vacuolization Vacuolization is the formation of vacuoles or vacuole-like structures, within or adjacent to cells. Perinuclear vacuolization of epidermal keratinocytes is most likely inconsequential when not observed in combination with other pathologic fin ...

of the cell. It is considered an indicator of

acute myocardial ischemia A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is retro ...

and can be used to confirm ischemia in the absence of other indicators of cause of death.

References

{{Pathology Cardiomyopathy Ischemic heart diseases

See also

References