Fig

Acute rheumatic carditis

Acute rheumatic carditis is marked by a peculiar form of granulomatous inflammation with so-called "Aschoff nodules" seen best in myocardium. These are centered in interstitium around vessels as shown here.

Acute rheumatic carditis, microscopic

Aschoff nodule. Aschoff giant cell. Several appear here as large cells with two or more nuclei that have prominent nucleoli. Scattered inflammatory cells accompany them and can be mononuclears or occasionally neutrophils.