The yield of postmortem genetic testing in sudden death cases with structural findings at autopsy
File(s)EJHG-SCD-author-accepted.pdf (1.58 MB)
Accepted version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is often associated with structural abnormalities of the heart during autopsy. This study sought to compare the diagnostic yield of postmortem genetic testing in (1) cases with structural findings of uncertain significance at autopsy to (2) cases with autopsy findings diagnostic of cardiomyopathy. We evaluated 57 SCD cases with structural findings at cardiac autopsy. Next-generation sequencing using a panel of 77 primary electrical disorder and cardiomyopathy genes was performed. Pathogenic and likely pathogenic variants were classified using American College of Medical Genetics (ACMG) consensus guidelines. In 29 cases (51%) autopsy findings of uncertain significance were identified whereas in 28 cases (49%) a diagnosis of cardiomyopathy was established. We identified a pathogenic or likely pathogenic variant in 10 cases (18%); in 1 (3%) case with non-specific autopsy findings compared with 9 (32%) cases with autopsy findings diagnostic of cardiomyopathy (p = 0.0054). The yield of genetic testing in SCD cases with autopsy findings consistent with cardiomyopathy is comparable with the yield in cardiomyopathy patients that are alive. Genetic testing in cases with findings of uncertain significance offers lower clinical utility than in cardiomyopathy, with lower yields than detected previously. This highlights the need for stringent evaluation of variant pathogenicity.
Date Issued
2020-01
Date Acceptance
2019-08-12
Citation
European Journal of Human Genetics, 2020, 28 (1), pp.17-22
ISSN
1018-4813
Publisher
Springer Nature [academic journals on nature.com]
Start Page
17
End Page
22
Journal / Book Title
European Journal of Human Genetics
Volume
28
Issue
1
Copyright Statement
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to European Society of Human Genetics 2019. The final publication is available at Springer Nature via https://doi.org/10.1038/s41431-019-0500-8 .
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31534214
PII: 10.1038/s41431-019-0500-8
Subjects
Science & Technology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Genetics & Heredity
CARDIAC DEATH
ASSOCIATION
GUIDELINES
Genetics & Heredity
0604 Genetics
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
England
Date Publish Online
2019-09-18