MYOCARDIAL EPSTEIN-BARR VIRUS-ASSOCIATED CARDIAC SMOOTH-MUSCLE NEOPLASM ARISING IN A CARDIAC TRANSPLANT RECIPIENT

Epstein-Earr virus-associated smooth muscle proliferations have been r eported in immunosuppressed patients with acquired immunodeficiency sy ndrome and after organ transplantation. We report here a case of a his tologically benign case arising in a 48-year-old male who had received immunosuppressive therapy 4 years earlier, after cardiac transplantat ion. In the necropsy performed for unrelated reasons, an incidental le ft intramyocardial tumor was discovered. The presence of Epstein-Barr virus was confirmed by EBER-1 in situ hybridization and polymerase cha in reaction. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of a n Epstein-Barr virus-associated smooth muscle proliferation arising in the heart after cardiac transplantation and should be added to the po tential complications of this kind of procedure.