Cardiac transplantation causes complete denervation of the transplanted heart. The reappearance of partial reinnervation late after transplantation has been demonstrated in various studies. The aim of this study was to assess the role of sympathetic reinnervation for allograft function. We quantified the extent of myocardial reinnervation noninvasively in 29 cardiac-transplant recipients, using positron-emission tomography. Ventricular function at rest and during standardized exercise testing was measured with the use of radionuclide angiography, and the results were compared with 10 healthy controls. In summary, at rest the effects of reinnervation on the performance of the transplanted heart appear to be negligible. Whereas the restoration of sympathetic nerve fibers was associated with improved response of the heart rate and contractile function. Moreover for the first time reinnervation could be identified as the only independant determinant of the improved inotropic response to exercise.
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Cardiac transplantation causes complete denervation of the transplanted heart. The reappearance of partial reinnervation late after transplantation has been demonstrated in various studies. The aim of this study was to assess the role of sympathetic reinnervation for allograft function. We quantified the extent of myocardial reinnervation noninvasively in 29 cardiac-transplant recipients, using positron-emission tomography. Ventricular function at rest and during standardized exercise testing wa...
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