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Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh
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Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh

Heart Biopsy

What is a Heart Biopsy?

A heart biopsy (BY-op-see) is a test to identify any abnormalities in the muscle tissue of the heart.

Doctors use a small set of tweezers to take a sample of heart tissue.

Why Might My Child Need a Heart Biopsy?

Your child's doctor at the Heart Institute at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh might order a heart biopsy to check for:

  • Weaknesses or changes in the heart muscle structure.
  • Inflammation of the heart muscle (myocarditis).
  • Rejection after a heart transplant.

What Happens During a Heart Biopsy?

The doctor will perform a biopsy during a cardiac catheterization (“heart cath”).

A heart cath is a minimally invasive technique that allows the doctor to look at the heart from the inside using special catheters and a “moving x-ray” called fluoroscopy (floor-OS-co-pee).

During your child's heart cath and biopsy, the doctor will:

  • Place very thin, flexible tubes called — called “catheters” — in the neck vein and leg vein.
  • Gently push the catheter through the blood vessels and into the heart using fluoroscopy to guide the placement.
  • Insert a small tool with tiny tweezers on the end of it, called a bioptome, to a position inside the heart.
  • Use the tweezers to take a small sample of heart tissue.

The tissue sample will be sent to the lab for microscopic analysis and sometimes to labs outside of UPMC Children’s Hospital for additional testing. Initial results from a heart biopsy will be ready within a few days, depending on the testing needed.

Learn More About Heart Biopsies

To learn more about heart biopsies at Children's: