Giant Mitochondria in a Cardiomyopathic Heart |
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| Authors: | Bernard Tandler Mark Dunlap Charles L. Hoppel Medhat Hassan |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Geriatric Research and Educational Center, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio, USA;2. Medical Service, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center;3. Department of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio, USA;4. Geriatric Research and Educational Center, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center;5. Departments of Pharmacology and Medicine, Case W estern Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland Ohio, USA;6. Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center;7. Cleveland, Ohio, USA |
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| Abstract: | Giant mitochondria (megamitochondria) measuring up to 14 µm in length and 3 µm in width are sporadically present in an exclusively interfibrillar position in the cardiomyocytes of a patient with restrictive cardiomyopathy. The number of cristae is augmented in the megamitochondria; these internal membranes are for the most part irregularly arrayed, but in certain giant mitochondria they run a parallel, zigzag course imparting a paracrystalline appearance to such organelles. Many of the giant mitochondria have one or several lucent, single membrane-bound inclusions that contain either f - or g -glycogen particles. Megamitochondria probably originate at least in part by fusion of adjacent organelles. |
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| Keywords: | Cardiomyopathy Giant Mitochondria Heart Intramitochondrial Glycogen Megamitochondria |
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