UNEXPECTED SUDDEN CARDIAC DEATH - RESULTS OF 1000 AUTOPSIES

The aim of this study was to search for a cardiac cause of death after an otherwise negative medico-legal autopsy in 1 000 adults under 65 y ears of age with no previous history, who suffered a sudden death. Fou r hundred and seven coronary causes were established with 152 negative autopsies and 441 other cardiac lesions. These 441 cases comprised 19 3 cardiomyopathies, 106 His bundle lesions, 50 partial forms of Uhl's anomaly (or arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia), 14 isolated m itral valve prolapses, 22 chronic valvular lesions, 8 myocarditis, 16 pulmonary embolisms, 11 chronic cor pulmonale. 11 aortic dissections a nd 10 atrophic fibrous plaques of the left ventricle, sequellae of tho racic trauma. His bundle lesions (isolated and associated) were observ ed 299 times out of 1 000 cases and mitral valve prolapse 125 times. A ge and gender. circumstances of sudden death, the weight of the heart, are reported for each group of conditions. The frequency of associati ons, especially of His bundle lesions, suggests that they may have a p otentialising effect on the genesis of the fatal arrhythmia.