Location
Suwanee, GA
Start Date
17-4-2026 12:00 PM
End Date
17-4-2026 1:00 PM
Description
INTRODUCTION:
This case study examines the gross cardiac morphology of a 66-year-old male with a history of heart disease whose cause of death was hemorrhagic stroke, with emphasis on correlating cardiac structural changes with systemic vascular disease and cerebrovascular outcome.
METHODS:
Gross anatomical dissection of the thoracic cavity was performed. Cardiac measurements included transverse width and thickness ventricular walls. The width of the thoracic cavity was also measured to assess proportional cardiac size. Measurements and photographs were taken to document.
RESULTS:
Gross examination revealed increased ventricular wall thickness relative to expected adult reference ranges, and the myocardium appeared diffusely thickened on inspection. The overall dimensions of the heart, when considered in relation to the thoracic cavity, were consistent with cardiomegaly. Evidence of prior coronary artery bypass grafting was also observed, including an intact internal thoracic artery graft to a coronary vessel and additional graft remnants, findings consistent with advanced coronary artery disease.
DISCUSSION:
In the present case study of a cadaver donor, the coexistence of an enlarged heart, a history of coronary artery bypass surgery and graft, and a hemorrhagic MCA stroke suggests multifactorial mechanisms contributing to death. Specifically, chronic cardiac pathology and altered cerebral hemodynamics may have facilitated cerebrovascular rupture and fatal hemorrhage. These post-mortem findings, revealed during routine cadaveric dissection, introduce the possibility that heart disease was a contributing factor in the hemorrhagic stroke and subsequent cause of death.
Embargo Period
6-1-2026
Included in
Cardiomegaly as a Risk Factor for Hemorrhagic Stroke: A Cadaveric Case Study
Suwanee, GA
INTRODUCTION:
This case study examines the gross cardiac morphology of a 66-year-old male with a history of heart disease whose cause of death was hemorrhagic stroke, with emphasis on correlating cardiac structural changes with systemic vascular disease and cerebrovascular outcome.
METHODS:
Gross anatomical dissection of the thoracic cavity was performed. Cardiac measurements included transverse width and thickness ventricular walls. The width of the thoracic cavity was also measured to assess proportional cardiac size. Measurements and photographs were taken to document.
RESULTS:
Gross examination revealed increased ventricular wall thickness relative to expected adult reference ranges, and the myocardium appeared diffusely thickened on inspection. The overall dimensions of the heart, when considered in relation to the thoracic cavity, were consistent with cardiomegaly. Evidence of prior coronary artery bypass grafting was also observed, including an intact internal thoracic artery graft to a coronary vessel and additional graft remnants, findings consistent with advanced coronary artery disease.
DISCUSSION:
In the present case study of a cadaver donor, the coexistence of an enlarged heart, a history of coronary artery bypass surgery and graft, and a hemorrhagic MCA stroke suggests multifactorial mechanisms contributing to death. Specifically, chronic cardiac pathology and altered cerebral hemodynamics may have facilitated cerebrovascular rupture and fatal hemorrhage. These post-mortem findings, revealed during routine cadaveric dissection, introduce the possibility that heart disease was a contributing factor in the hemorrhagic stroke and subsequent cause of death.