Acute coronary occlusion during coronary angiography in two cases. Treatment by transluminal disobliteration

Acute coronary obstruction occurred in two patients during coronary angiography. In one case the obstruction was in the left main coronary artery; in the other it was close to the origin of the left anterior descending artery. In both cases acute cardiac ischaemia ensued, with electromechanical dissociation and collapse, which was not reversible by resuscitation. Rapid disobliteration of the occluded coronary artery was done with a guide-wire pushed through the obstruction via the coronary catheter. The recanalisation was completed by an intracoronary perfusion of streptokinase in one case. In both cases recovery was rapid and spectacular. The occurrence of acute ischaemia during coronary angiography should suggest accidental coronary occlusion. If a thromboembolic origin is suspected, transluminal disobliteration should be attempted. It is simple and can reverse a dangerous condition.     

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection: a neglected cause of acute myocardial ischaemia and sudden death.

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection is a rare cause of acute myocardial ischaemia. Eight consecutive fatal cases which occurred in women aged 34-54 years (mean 43) are described. The dissection involved the left anterior descending coronary artery in four, the left main trunk in two, the right coronary artery in one, and both left anterior descending and circumflex arteries in one. The clinical presentation was sudden death in six cases, and acute myocardial infarction in two. Diagnosis was made at necropsy in every case but one, in which coronary dissection was diagnosed during life by selective coronary angiography. The only ascertained risk factor was hypertension in one patient; none of the women was in the puerperium, and Marfan syndrome was excluded in all. Histology showed a haematoma between the coronary tunica media and adventitia, that flattened and occluded the lumen; a coronary intimal tear was detected in only two cases. Unusual histological findings were cystic medial necrosis in one case, eosinophilic inflammatory infiltrates in four, and angiomatosis of the tunica adventitia in one. Patients dying of spontaneous coronary dissection are usually middle aged women, with no coronary atherosclerosis and apparently no risk factors. Spontaneous coronary artery dissection is unpredictable, and sudden death is the usual mode of clinical presentation. Prompt diagnosis and life saving treatment is far from being achieved.     

Correction of myocardial ischaemia after transcatheter embolisation of a small left coronary artery venous fistula.

A 50 year old woman presented with a history of angina and palpitation. She had a positive exercise test and thallium scintigraphy showed reversible ischaemia in the territory of the left anterior descending coronary artery. Coronary angiography showed a small coronary arteriovenous fistula arising from the bifurcation of the left main stem--that is, the origin of the left anterior descending and circumflex coronary arteries--with no evidence of coronary stenosis. The aberrant coronary artery was embolised with platinum microcoils delivered by a percutaneous, transcatheter, coaxial technique. The patient was subsequently symptom free with no evidence of ischaemia on exercise testing or thallium scintigraphy. This case suggests that when there is clear evidence of myocardial ischaemia even small coronary arteriovenous fistulas should be treated by embolisation.     

Abnormal origin of the left circumflex coronary artery: clinical, angiographic and prognostic aspects. Apropos of 30 cases]

The object of this study of 30 patients with an anomalous origin of the left circumflex coronary artery was to define the clinical and angiographic features of this condition and to assess its influence on morbidity and survival. The 30 patients were 24 men and 6 women with ages ranging from 29 to 76 years. An anomalous origin of the left circumflex coronary artery should be suspected when two angiographic signs are present: firstly, the visualisation of a spur of opacification in the 30 degrees LAO view of left ventriculography, present in 93% or our patients; secondly, during selective left coronary angiography in the transverse view, an ascular zone is observed where the normal left circumflex artery should be. Confirmation of the diagnosis depends on opacification of the left circumflex arising from the right anterior sinus of Valsalva with a separate (37%) or common (23%) orifice with the right coronary artery or arising from a proximal segment of the right coronary artery/(40%). Five patients (17%) had a significant stenosis of the anomalous left circumflex coronary artery but this was always associated with lesions of the other coronary narrowing was observed. Of these patients, one had electrocardiographic signs of myocardial ischaemia and no other cause apart from the anomalous origin of the left circumflex to explain this ischaemia. The 30 patients were followed up for an average of 6.1 +/- 3.9 years. During this period, 1 cardiac death, 1 infarction, 5 cases of angina, 4 coronary bypass procedures, and 6 coronary angioplasties were observed. Nine patients (30%) had no cardiac event during follow-up.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

少见冠状动脉畸形18例

目的 :探讨 18例少见冠状动脉 (冠脉 )畸形特征及评价选择性冠脉造影在其诊断中的作用。方法 :对17例患者进行冠脉造影 ,13例患者进行手术纠正治疗。另 1例二维超声心动图误诊为动脉导管未闭 ,术中证实为右冠脉 -右室瘘。结果 :18例患者中共发现有 9种冠脉畸形 ,包括冠脉起源异常 2例 ;左冠脉回旋支缺如 1例 ;左、右冠脉 -肺动脉瘘 3例 ;左冠脉 -肺动脉瘘 3例 ;右冠脉 -右心房瘘 3例 ;右冠脉 -右室瘘 2例 ;右冠脉 -静脉瘘 1例 ;左冠脉 -右室瘘 1例 ;左冠脉 -左心室瘘 2例。其中 13例患者经手术治疗得到再证实。结论 :冠脉畸形是少见的先天性血管畸形 ,选择性冠脉造影是确诊的重要手段 ,需与先天性心脏病和冠心病心绞痛鉴别 ,术后效果良好。     

Abnormal origin of the left coronary artery. Pre- and postoperative hemodynamic and metabolic studies

The authors report the case of an asymptomatic 45 year old man in whom an abnormal origin of the left coronary artery was discovered fortuitously. Coronary angiography was carried out for electrocardiographic signs of anterior myocardial infarction and showed the left coronary artery arising from the pulmonary artery: there was apical dyskinesia with alteration of global left ventricular function. The ostium of the left coronary artery was closed and a saphenous vein aorto-left anterior descending artery bypass was performed. There were no complications. Left ventricular function has not improved 8 months after surgery. The haemodynamic and coronary signs of myocardial ischaemia demonstrated preoperatively regressed after surgery: the coronary "steal" caused by the malformation which led to poor perfusion of the territory of the left coronary artery has therefore been corrected by surgery. This procedure should be carried out as early as possible in order to limit extension of the myocardial lesions.     

Right coronary artery issuing from the pulmonary artery: review of the literature apropos of a case

A new case of right coronary artery abnormally issued from the pulmonary trunk is reported. The patient was an asymptomatic young man in whom a continuous cardiac murmur was discovered by chance and an angiographic examination disclosed the coronary abnormality. A review of the literature yielded 37 cases of this anomalous origin which was either isolated, as in the case reported here, or associated with another congenital or acquired cardiopathy. The diagnosis may be suspected on the presence of a continuous murmur in an usually asymptomatic subject and is confirmed by angiography. The abnormality is generally well tolerated owing to an inter-coronary collateral circulation resulting in retrograde perfusion of the right coronary artery from the left coronary artery. This good tolerance explains why an isolated abnormality of that type is often discovered belatedly, in contrast with the anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary trunk, which is usually revealed at birth by clinical signs of acute coronary insufficiency. However, the likelihood of either cardiac failure due to the left-to-right shunt in elderly people or, chiefly, acute myocardial ischaemia by coronary steal with a risk of sudden death in young people makes it imperative in such cases to perform reimplantation surgery.     

Acute coronary syndrome in an adult with anomalous origin of the left anterior descending coronary artery from the pulmonary trunk

Anomalous origin of the left anterior descending coronary artery is a very rare coronary vascular anomaly, especially in adults. We describe the case of a 45-year-old woman who presented with an acute coronary syndrome. Coronary angiography revealed an anomalous origin of the left anterior descending coronary artery from the main pulmonary trunk, with collateral filling from both the left circumflex and the right coronary artery. Treatment of choice of this coronary anomaly is usually surgical repair, while intense antithrombotic therapy should be considered, especially if the anomalous vessel is ectatic.     

Acute percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty complicated by embolism to a coronary artery remote from the site of infarction

Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty has emerged as a mode of treatment in patients with both chronic and acute coronary syndromes. Among the recognized complications of coronary angioplasty is coronary embolism. This case report describes a case of acute anterior myocardial infarction which was treated with angioplasty of the left anterior descending coronary artery. Postdilation angiography revealed obstruction of the posterior descending artery (in a left dominant system). The use of thrombolytic therapy previous to angioplasty is briefly discussed.     

A case of right coronary artery occlusion, caused by blunt chest trauma and treated with acute coronary artery bypass surgery.

A 37-year-old man sustained occlusion of the right coronary artery after a bicycle accident with blunt chest trauma over the left scapula. Acute coronary angiography was performed because of chest pain and ST-segment elevation. Despite surgically successful acute revascularization the patient developed a transmural inferior wall infarction. Coronary artery occlusion after blunt chest trauma is rare, especially occlusion of the right coronary artery. When it occurs, the impact is usually frontal (car accidents), and not dorsal as in this case. Coronary artery bypass surgery has been reported in a few cases but to the best of our knowledge this is the first report of bypass surgery at the stage of acute transmural ischaemia.     

Isolated left anterior hemiblock during attacks of angina pectoris]

The clinical significance and mechanism for changes in the axis of the QRS complex during attacks of angina pectoris (excluding cases of Prinzmetal's angina) are unknown. Previous work has suggested that left anterior hemiblock under these circumstances is a sign of unstable angina indicating a lesion in the anterior descending artery. Two cases with left anterior hemiblock associated with frequent attacks of angina have been the subject of careful study. In case one, atrial stimulation tests showed that the left axis deviation was not related to tachycardia. It only occurred when atrial stimulation was carried out for long enough to induce myocardial ischaemia as witnessed by precordial pain and disorders of repolarisation. In case two, the left anterior hemiblock came on at first at the same time as the attacks of angina, and then became permanent. Bypass graft of the anterior descending artery restored the QRS axis to normal, and corrected the repolarisation disorders which were of ischaemic origin. These findings argue in favour of an ischaemic origin of this conduction defect. Unlike ischaemia of the left anterosuperior subbranch, anterior left hemiblock is indicative of extensive ischaemia of the anterior wall of the left ventricle relative to an obstruction in the anterior descending artery or in the main trunk of the left coronary artery.     

Anterior left ventricular wall echoes in coronary artery disease. Linear scanning with a single element transducer

The feasibility and usefulness of obtaining anterior left ventricular wall echoes were studied using a linear cardiac scan with a single element tranducer and M mode recordings. One hundred four patients were examined: 50 with acute myocardial infarction and 54 who underwent left ventricular angiography and coronary cineangiography for evaluation of chest pain. Of the 54 patients with cardiac catheterization studies, 11 had no evidence of cardiac disease, 42 had 50 percent or greater obstruction in one or more of the three major coronary arteries and one had aortic insufficiency. Anterior left ventricular wall echo motion toward the transducer or absence of motion during ejection was called abnormal, and motion away from the transducer during ejection was interpreted as normal. Abnormal motion was seen in four of four patients with an isolated lesion of the anterior descending coronary artery, in one of three with an isolated lesion of the right coronary artery and in neither of two with an isolated lesion of the left circumflex artery. Of the 20 patients with obstructive coronary artery disease by arteriography and abnormal left ventricular wall echo motion, 18 had obstruction of the left anterior descending artery with or without other disease. Correlation of the anterior left ventricular echograms with the left ventricular angiograms was poor, with agreement in only 66 percent (33 of 50) of cases. Twenty-five of 26 patients with acute infarction and abnormal anterior left ventricular wall echo motion had electrocardiographic changes indicative of anterior or lateral wall infarction, or both. Twenty-five of 34 patients with electrocardiographic changes indicative of anterior wall infarction had an abnormal anterior wall motion echo. This study shows that obtaining the anterior left ventricular wall echo is feasible and useful in patients with coronary artery disease since abnormal anterior left ventricular wall motion is closely associated with anterior wall ischemia or infarction in these patients.     

Anomalous origin of a coronary artery in a transplanted heart.

Upon routine coronary angiography one year after surgery in a 62-year-old male recipient of a heart transplant, an abnormal origin of the left anterior descending coronary artery from the pulmonary artery was found in the donor heart. This very rare congenital anomaly had not been detected during harvesting and transplantation of the heart, and to our knowledge it has never been described before in a heart transplant patient. The donor was a 43-year-old male who died of a spontaneous intracranial bleeding. The recipient continues to enjoy a normal functional capacity and is free of anginal complaints, though there is evidence of ischaemia in the left anterior descending artery territory on exercise thallium-201 myocardial perfusion imaging.     

Anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery in an adult.

Anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery is a rare, almost universally fatal form of congenital heart disease. A case was diagnosed in a 19 year old woman who had exercise induced syncope and ST segment displacement during exercise stress testing. The anomaly was successfully treated with ligation of the anomalous left coronary artery combined with saphenous vein grafting. Young adults with exercise induced syncope should be examined by exercise stress testing, and if it induces ST segment displacement coronary angiography should be undertaken.     

Ectopic origin of a coronary artery from the aorta. Sudden death in 3 of 23 patients

Ectopic origin of a coronary artery from the aorta is uncommon. In the last decade, its importance as a possible cause of sudden death has been documented. Initially, only the left coronary artery was implicated. Lately, the ectopically arising right coronary artery has also been shown to be involved in cases of sudden death. We reviewed the pathologic anatomy in 23 cases of ectopic origin of a coronary artery from the aorta. In three of these cases, death could be attributed to ectopic origin of a coronary artery. In one case the left coronary artery arose from the right aortic sinus, and in two cases the right coronary artery arose from the left aortic sinus. In one of these, a scar of healed myocardial infarction was present in the inferior wall of the left ventricle. The possible mechanism for sudden death in these cases is reviewed and emphasis placed on the theory that the acute angle at which the ectopic artery leaves the aorta results in a flap-like mechanism at the arterial ostium. Ostial stenosis by the flap could be a significant factor in causing myocardial ischemia in some patients and also in sudden death.     

Unusual congenital coronary anomaly and myocardial ischaemia

Angiography was used to diagnose a rare congenital coronary anomaly with myocardial ischaemia in a woman with typical angina. All three coronary arteries arose from a solitary coronary ostium in the right aortic sinus; the left anterior descending coronary artery followed a septal course, the circumflex coronary artery ran behind the ascending aorta, and the right coronary artery followed a normal course. No significant coronary lumen narrowing was found. Transoesophageal echocardiography confirmed the anomalous origin and course of the aberrant coronary arteries. An exercise test reproduced angina, and ECG changes and myocardial perfusion study showed an anterior reversible defect. In contrast to previous reports, myocardial ischaemia was associated with the septal (intramuscular) course of the left anterior descending coronary artery; there was no other significant coronary artery disease.


Keywords: congenital heart defects; myocardial ischaemia; angiography; echocardiography     

Acute coronary syndrome in a patient with a single coronary artery arising from the right sinus of Valsalva

Coronary artery anomalies are usually encountered as coincidental findings during coronary angiography or at autopsy.Life threatening symptoms,such as arrhythmias,syncope,myocardial infarction,or sudden death,can occur in up to 20% of patients.However,the majority of anomalies(80%) are benign and asymptomatic.A single coronary artery(SCA) is one of the most rarely seen coronary anomalies with an incidence of 0.05%.We report the case of a 55-year old male patient who presented with symptoms of chest pain associated with an acute myocardial infarction.Coronary angiography revealed an anomalous left main coronary artery(LMCA) originating from the right coronary ostium,and an occluded distal right coronary artery.The occluded distal right coronary artery was successfully treated by thrombosuction and stenting.In order to confirm the origin and course of the SCA,multi-slice computed tomography(MSCT) of the heart was performed after coronary angiography.MSCT showed that the anomalous LMCA originated from the right coronary artery ostium and then passed the interventricular septum,instead of being intra arterial,and under the right ventricular infundibulum.The anomalous LMCA was classified as R-Ⅱ S subtype according to Lipton’s classification.     

The mystery of the lost and found right coronary artery

Most coronary artery anomalies are discovered only incidentally during coronary angiography. Recognition and identification of these anomalies especially during coronary intervention procedures are of importance because of their occasional association with symptoms due to atherosclerotic coronary disease. Anomalous origin of the right coronary artery (RCA) from the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) is one of the most uncommon coronary anomalies. We report an extremely interesting case of anomalous RCA from the LAD presenting as acute inferior ST elevation MI, with ostial total block of the RCA, precluding its visualization during coronary angiography. Interventional Cardiologists need to be aware of such anatomical variations, as occasionally, this can lead to a diagnostic dilemma, as in our case. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Rescue percutaneous coronary intervention for failed thrombolysis in a patient with anomalous coronary arteries

Coronary artery anomalies (CAA) often render technically difficult the completion of coronary angiography and intervention. Their presence in patients undergoing emergency angiography for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is particularly challenging for interventional cardiologists. In this article, we report, for the first time in the literature, a case of rescue percutaneous coronary intervention for failed thrombolysis in a patient with AMI due to occlusion of a left circumflex coronary artery with anomalous origin from right sinus of Valsalva (in an anomalous left coronary system also including an anomalous origin of the left anterior descending artery from the right sinus). In particular, the present clinical vignette emphasizes the importance of a thorough search for the culprit vessel during cardiac catheterization. Especially in the emergency setting, non-invasive methods of ischemia localization, such as ST-segment elevation at the ECG and wall motion abnormalities at echocardiography, are of pivotal usefulness to guide the interventional cardiologist in identifying and treating the diseased coronary vessel in a timely and effective fashion.     

Single coronary artery anomaly: branching of left coronary artery from right coronary artery with 2 distinct patterns

Normal coronary vasculature has a left coronary artery arising from the left coronary cusp and a right coronary artery arising from the right coronary cusp. In about 0.024% of cases in the general population, there is no left main coronary artery. In fact, there is a single coronary artery, which arises from the right coronary cusp. We encountered 2 such cases with distinct patterns. The first case was a patient with angina who had an abnormal stress test for which he underwent coronary angiography. This revealed a single coronary artery arising from the right coronary cusp. This vessel gave rise to the right coronary artery, which had a varicose anatomy, with a critical lesion in the posterior descending artery. The left coronary artery passed anteriorly to the pulmonary artery with a critical lesion in the circumflex artery. In the second case, the patient also had angina with a normal noninvasive work-up but due to his persistent symptoms, coronary angiography was performed. This revealed a single coronary artery arising from the right coronary cusp. Subsequent CT angiography revealed that the left coronary artery coursed in between the aorta and pulmonary artery without critical lesions. In both cases, the patients underwent coronary artery bypass grafting.