Heart Disease and the Heart Biopsy A heart biopsy, also called
myocardial biopsy or cardiac biopsy, is an invasive procedure to
detect heart disease. It entails using a bioptome (a small
catheter with a grasping device on the end) to obtain a small
piece of heart muscle tissue that is sent to a laboratory for
analysis. Why Do I Need a Heart Biopsy? Your doctor uses a heart
biopsy to: - Evaluate or confirm the presence of rejection after
a heart transplant. - Diagnose myocarditis (inflammation of the
heart muscle) or certain other cardiac disorders such as
cardiomyopathy or cardiac amyloidosis -- if common diagnostic
tools like echocardiogram, EKG, or chest X-rays are not
revealing suspected abnormal heart tissue, or a patient's heart
condition is dramatically worsening without apparent cause. A
heart biopsy can correctly pinpoint a specific diagnosis in
10%-20% of cases. How Should I Prepare for a Heart Biopsy? To
prepare yourself for a heart biopsy, you should know: - The
biopsy takes place in the hospital a