The composition of ectopic lymphoid structures suggests involvement of a local immune response in cardiac allograft vasculopathy
MMH Huibers, AJ Gareau, A Vink, R Kruit… - The Journal of Heart and …, 2015 - Elsevier
Background Cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) is a multifactorial pathology limiting the
survival of cardiac transplants. The etiology of CAV is unclear, but antibody-mediated and
cellular-mediated responses have been implicated. We, and others, have observed ectopic
lymphoid structures (ELS) surrounding epicardial coronary arteries with CAV. The potential
contribution of these ELS to CAV has not been elucidated. Methods Epicardial coronary
arteries were collected from 59 transplant patients at 2 centers and studied for ELS presence …
survival of cardiac transplants. The etiology of CAV is unclear, but antibody-mediated and
cellular-mediated responses have been implicated. We, and others, have observed ectopic
lymphoid structures (ELS) surrounding epicardial coronary arteries with CAV. The potential
contribution of these ELS to CAV has not been elucidated. Methods Epicardial coronary
arteries were collected from 59 transplant patients at 2 centers and studied for ELS presence …