Julie Munkholm

Short presentation

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is a heart muscle disease characterized histopathologically by progressive fibrofatty replacement of the right ventricle free wall myocardium. The disease is associated with a high frequency of sudden cardiac death among young adults, many of which may be seen in forensic pathology.

The diagnosis of ARVC is based on internationally accepted clinical and morphological criteria. Postmortem, the diagnosis relies mainly on the histopathological findings but the real distribution of the pathological changes throughout the myocardium is at present unknown. Currently there is no concensus on the criteria for a postmortem diagnosis. Thus, this serious disease may be missed or, on the contrary, be overdiagnosed due to difficulty in distinguishing the disease from the frequent finding of fatty infiltration of the right ventricle.

Primary fields of research

Histomorphological changes of the heart in forensic autopsy matrial

Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy

Current research

The objective of the present study is to characterize ARVC in a forensic autopsy and surgical pathology material, based on histopathological, immuno-histochemical and morphometrical findings.

Teaching

Forelæsning for medicinstuderende i klinisk retsmedicin: "Hjertedødsfald" siden november 2010

Forelæsning for medicinstuderende i klinisk retsmedicin: "Stump vold med komplikationer" siden maj 2011

CV

Cand. med., speciallæge i retsmedicin