Intimal hyperplasia as a cause of restenosis after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty

We describe a patient who died 96 days after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty was performed. The balloon-dilated segments of the left anterior descending artery and its first diagonal branch were found to be restenosed. Histologic examination of these arterial segments showed intimal hyperplasia without lipid deposition as the cause of restenosis, rather than common atherosclerotic plaque.