[Coronary artery embolism from ruptured plaque in the left main trunks with difficulty in detection of culprit
Takatomi Fujimoto1, Eiji Takase, Shinya Fukuhara
1Division of Cardiology, Saiseikai-Suita Hospital, Osaka. takatomi@maia.eonet.ne.jp
Insights
Coronary thromboembolism, a rare cause of heart attack, was diagnosed using intravascular ultrasonography. This imaging technique helped identify a ruptured plaque, leading to successful treatment and recovery.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Interventional Cardiology
- Vascular Imaging
Background:
- Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) necessitates prompt diagnosis and treatment.
- Coronary thromboembolism is an uncommon but serious cause of AMI.
- Identifying the embolic source or culprit lesion in thromboembolic AMI can be challenging.
Observation:
- A 60-year-old male presented with anterior acute myocardial infarction.
- Coronary angiography showed stenosis and filling defects but was inconclusive for the embolic source.
- Intravascular ultrasonography revealed a ruptured plaque with lipid pooling in segment 5.
Findings:
- The ruptured plaque in segment 5 was identified as the culprit lesion.
- Successful stent implantation in segment 5 resolved the issue.
- The patient experienced an excellent clinical outcome post-intervention.
Implications:
- Intravascular ultrasonography is a valuable tool for diagnosing rare cases of coronary thromboembolism.
- Early detection of ruptured plaques can improve patient outcomes in acute myocardial infarction.
- This case highlights the importance of advanced imaging in complex coronary artery disease scenarios.
Abstract:
A 60-year-old man complained of severe chest pain and was emergently admitted to our hospital with a dignosis of anterior acute myocardial infarction. Emergent coronary angiography revealed significant stenosis in segment 7 and filling defect in segment 11 without flow delay. Haziness was observed in segment 5. Coronary thromboembolism was suspected, but the embolic source or culprit lesion was hard to detect. Intravascular ultrasonography detected ruptured plaque with lipid pooling in segment 5. Stent implantation for segment 5 was performed successfully and the patient had an excellent clinical course. Coronary thromboembolism is rare and intravascular ultrasonography may be useful to detect the culprit lesion.
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