Coronary Sarcoidosis Presenting as Acute Coronary Syndrome

Sarcoidosis is a systemic disorder of uncertain etiology characterized by noncaseating granulomatous inflammation. The disease often involves the heart on autopsy, but the antemortem diagnosis of cardiac sarcoidosis is frequently missed. Cardiac involvement usually includes granulomatous inflammation or fibrosis of the myocardium, conduction system, or pericardium. We now describe a case of epicardial coronary involvement by sarcoidosis, where the diagnosis was made by surgical biopsy of the coronary artery in an African American man presenting with acute coronary syndrome and recurrent symptomatic restenosis following coronary intervention. The case extends the spectrum of common cardiac syndromes that cardiac sarcoidosis can masquerade as and highlights the importance of maintaining a high index of suspicion for early recognition and instituting specific treatment that might improve prognosis. A review of the literature also suggests the need for improvement in diagnostic approaches and prospective clinical trials to establish the best management strategy for this disease. Copyright © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Coronary Atherosclerotic Precursors of Acute Coronary Syndromes

Background

The association of atherosclerotic features with first acute coronary syndromes (ACS) has not accounted for plaque burden.

Coronary Thromboembolism with Fatal Outcome Following Coronary Angiography

ABSTRACT A case of fatal thromboembolic occlusion of the left coronary artery at selective coronary arteriography is described. The course of events and the findings at autopsy suggest that thrombotic material was deposited on one intravascular catheter and transferred to a second catheter inserted over the same guide wire. Contrast injection through the second catheter into the left coronary ostium resulted in immediate and fatal occlusion of the two major branches of the left coronary artery.     

Spontaneous Multivessel Coronary Spasm During Diagnostic Coronary Angiography

Acute vasospastic angina, formerly known as Prinzmetal angina, is characterized by transient electrocardiographic changes that are not related to exertion. Its atypical presentation makes it difficult to establish the diagnosis, so it is probably underrecognized and therefore mismanaged. We treated a 49-year-old woman who presented with a 2-day history of chest pain associated with palpitations. Abnormal radionuclide stress test results prompted diagnostic coronary angiography, during which the patient reported chest pain and became hemodynamically unstable. Active coronary vasospasm at multiple sites was treated with intracoronary nitroglycerin and nicardipine, leading to immediate recovery.Our case highlights the importance of accurate, timely diagnosis of vasospastic angina, and of early recognition and management of spontaneous coronary spasm during angiography.     

Coronary collaterals

A 79-year-old man with onset of typical angina pectoris wasreferred to our institution for suspected coronary artery disease.We performed non-invasive coronary angiography using     

Coronary microembolization

Atherosclerotic plaque rupture is a key event in the pathogenesis of acute coronary syndromes and during coronary interventions. Atherosclerotic plaque rupture does not always result in complete thrombotic occlusion of the entire epicardial coronary artery with subsequent acute myocardial infarction, but may in milder forms result in the embolization of atherosclerotic and thrombotic debris into the coronary microcirculation. This review summarizes the available morphological evidence for coronary microembolization in patients who died from coronary artery disease, most notably from sudden death. Then the experimental pathophysiology of coronary microembolization in animal models of acute coronary syndromes is detailed. Finally, the review presents the available clinical evidence for coronary microembolization in patients, highlights its key features--arrhythmias, contractile dysfunction, microinfarcts and reduced coronary reserve--, compares these features to those of the experimental model and addresses its prevention by mechanical protection devices and glycoprotein IIb/IIIa antagonism.     

Coronary Thrombolysis

Myocardial infarction (MI) size is the major determinant of the function of the left ventricle and thus of the prognosis of the patient. Attempts to limit infarct size therefore constitute an important goal in modern coronary care. There is evidence that intravenous thrombolytic therapy can lyse coronary artery thrombi, restore antegrade coronary blood flow, preserve myocardial viability and function and improve survival. The time interval from onset of infarction, the extent of remaining ischemic myocardium and the rate at which myocardial necrosis is progressing are factors influencing the extent of myocardial salvage in reperfusion.     

Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty of Single Coronary Artery

The presence of single coronary artery is a very rare finding on coronary arteriography. This type of coronary artery anomaly was revealed in a 54-year-old patient with exertional angina refractory to full medical treatment and positive exercise test. The unique coronary vessel presented significant stenosis in the distal segment of circumflex artery—which continued as right coronary artery—and was successfully dilated with conventional balloon angioplasty.     

Coronary embolism

The literature on coronary embolism is reviewed and the rarity of such an occurrence emphasized. Cases in which the source of the embolism is not found at autopsy should not be accepted as proved cases of coronary embolism. Three cases of coronary embolism are reported. In one, the source of the embolus was a thrombus in the femoral vein; there was also a patent foramen ovale. In the second case, the source of the embolus was a mural thrombus in the right coronary artery, occurring on the basis of an atheromatous ulcer. The embolus had lodged in the distal part of this artery at the origin of the posterior descending branch. In the third instance, the source of the embolus which had occluded the mouth of the right coronary artery was a thrombus occurring on an atheromatous ulcer in the region of the sinus of Valsalva. In all three instances the patients died suddenly.     

Coronary microembolization

Atherosclerotic plaque rupture is a key event in the pathogenesis of acute coronary syndromes and during coronary interventions. Atherosclerotic plaque rupture does not always result in complete thrombotic occlusion of the entire epicardial coronary artery with subsequent acute myocardial infarction; however, in milder forms it may result in the embolization of atherosclerotic and thrombotic debris into the coronary microcirculation. The present report summarizes the available morphologic evidence for coronary microembolization in patients who died of coronary artery disease, especially sudden death. The report then goes on to address the experimental pathophysiology of coronary microembolization in animal models of acute coronary syndromes and heart failure. Finally, the report presents the available clinical evidence for coronary microembolization, highlights its key features--arrhythmias, contractile dysfunction, infarctlets and reduced coronary reserve--and addresses prevention by mechanical protection devices and glycoprotein IIb/IIIa antagonism.