Cardiac dissection techniques for pathoanatomical research on myocardial hypertrophy and anatomical teaching

BACKGROUND: Various cardiac dissection techniques are used in basic pathoanatomical research on cardiovascular diseases and anatomical teaching. In contrast, diagnostic routine techniques in pathology and legal medicine have subject-specific recommendations. However, these recommendations do not outline specific techniques for the determination of heart weight and myocardial hypertrophy. Thus, the present manuscript outlines cardiac dissection techniques that may be employed in pathoanatomic and autopsy-based research and anatomical teaching. METHODS: A narrative literature review and discussion of established cardiac dissection techniques for diagnostic routine (Short-Axis and Inflow-Outflow methods), anatomical teaching (combined Window and Base-of-Heart methods) and pathoanatomic research on myocardial hypertrophy (Fulton and Chamber Partition techniques). RESULTS: Cardiac dissection techniques such as the Fulton method allow an in-depth assessment of ventricular hypertrophy by capturing the weight of specific parts of the heart. Such techniques, which are outside current recommendations for diagnostic routine, are desirable for research purposes. The examples in this review show how different dissection techniques visualize different cardiac structures for anatomical teaching. CONCLUSION: Various cardiac dissection techniques enable the in-depth assessment of myocardial hypertrophy and heart weight. For anatomical teaching, the simultaneous display of several dissection techniques improves visualization of cardiac structures and supports a better understanding of the topographic cardiac anatomy. In pathoanatomical research on cardiovascular diseases, certain dissection techniques beyond those employed in diagnostic routine improve the evaluation of myocardial hypertrophy and heart weight.