Fluorescence spectroscopy of endomyocardial tissue post-human heart transplantation: Does it correlate with histopathology?

Background: A significant correlation between autofluorescence spectroscopy and heart allograft rejection has been described in the rat heterotropic a llograft model. However, the use of this technique in human heart transplan ts has not been validate. Methods: We obtained fluorescence and reflectance spectra on 37 human endom yocardial biopsy specimens and correlated the spectra with International So ciety Heart and Lung Transplantation grade for histologic rejection. Results: Using different excitation wavelengths (ultraviolet, lambda = 337 nm; blue, lambda = 440 nm, and green, lambda = 486 nm), we found no signifi cant difference in the fluorescence spectra among the different grades of r ejection. Conclusions: Fluorescence spectroscopy is not a sensitive method for detect ing rejection in human heart transplant recipients.