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Related Concept Videos

Vascular Spasm01:16

Vascular Spasm

The vascular phase, also known as vasospasm, is the initial stage of hemostasis, crucial for preventing excessive bleeding when a blood vessel is injured. After a vessel is cut, nerves in the damaged area trigger pain and other sensory impulses. Simultaneously, the smooth muscles in the vessel wall contract, resulting in a vascular spasm. This contraction reduces the vessel's diameter at the injury site, slowing or stopping blood loss through the vessel wall. Vascular spasms typically last for...
Spasmolytic Agents: Chemical Classification01:29

Spasmolytic Agents: Chemical Classification

Spasmolytic agents are drugs used to alleviate muscle spasms and spasticity. They can be categorized into different chemical groups based on their mechanisms of action. Centrally acting spasmolytics primarily affect the spinal cord, while others directly target skeletal muscle cells.
A major class of centrally acting spasmolytics is the α2-agonist, such as tizanidine. These drugs bind to α2-adrenoceptors, inhibiting the release of the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate. They also promote...
Classification of Skeletal Muscle Relaxants01:28

Classification of Skeletal Muscle Relaxants

Skeletal muscle relaxants are a group of drugs that can reduce muscle stiffness and induce temporary paralysis to relieve pain. These agents can act centrally to reduce muscle tone or spasms in painful conditions such as multiple sclerosis (MS), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or spinal injuries; they are called antispasmodics or spasmolytics.
Peripherally acting skeletal muscle relaxants interfere with the neurotransmission at the neuromuscular end plate to induce paralysis during...
Smooth Muscle Contraction01:25

Smooth Muscle Contraction

Smooth muscle contraction is a complex process vital for various bodily functions, from maintaining blood vessel tension to facilitating the movement of food through the digestive tract. Unlike striated muscles, smooth muscle contraction begins more slowly and lasts longer.
The onset of contraction is triggered by an increase in calcium ions within the sarcoplasm, similar to the process in striated muscle. However, smooth muscles have a relatively smaller reservoir of the sarcoplasmic...
Relaxation of Skeletal Muscles01:29

Relaxation of Skeletal Muscles

The period of muscle contraction primarily influences the duration of stimulation at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ), the presence of free calcium ions in the sarcoplasm, and the availability of energy or ATP to support contractions.
When an action potential reaches the axon terminal, it depolarizes the membrane and opens voltage-gated sodium channels. Sodium ions enter the cell, further depolarizing the presynaptic membrane. This depolarization causes voltage-gated calcium channels to open.
Centrally Acting Muscle Relaxants: Therapeutic Uses01:24

Centrally Acting Muscle Relaxants: Therapeutic Uses

Centrally acting muscle relaxants reduce muscle tone and tension by interfering with the postsynaptic reflexes in the central nervous system.
Centrally acting drugs are classified into spasmolytic and antispasmodic drugs. Spasmolytic drugs such as baclofen, diazepam, and tizanidine inhibit spinal motor neurons and decrease muscle tone. Spasmolytic drugs are administered for severe and chronic spasms due to multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, stroke, and spinal cord and muscle injuries. However,...

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Acupoint Catgut Embedding for Treatment of Chronic Pelvic Pain Due to the Sequelae of Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
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A cataclasm due to spasm.

R N Denham1, Y E Appelman, G J E Verdel

  • 1Department of Cardiology, VU University Medical Center, De Boelelaan 1117, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, rndenham@gmail.com.

Netherlands Heart Journal : Monthly Journal of the Netherlands Society of Cardiology and the Netherlands Heart Foundation
|October 20, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

A patient with ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome was treated for focal spasm in the left anterior descending artery (LAD). Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) resolved symptoms, indicating spasm, not bridging, was the cause.

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Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Interventional Cardiology
  • Vascular Ultrasound

Background:

  • ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome (STEACS) requires prompt diagnosis and intervention.
  • Myocardial bridging can sometimes be associated with coronary artery spasm and ischemia.
  • Differentiating causes of acute coronary syndrome is crucial for effective treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the cause of transmural ischemia in a patient with acute coronary syndrome.
  • To evaluate the role of atherosclerotic lesions and myocardial bridging in the LAD.
  • To determine the efficacy of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for suspected focal spasm.

Main Methods:

  • Coronary angiography was performed to visualize coronary arteries.
  • Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) was utilized to assess lesion severity and morphology.
  • Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) was performed on a significant lesion in the LAD.

Main Results:

  • Angiography and IVUS revealed a non-significant atherosclerotic lesion and myocardial bridging in the proximal and mid-LAD, respectively.
  • The patient presented with ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome.
  • Following PCI of the LAD lesion, the patient remained symptom-free.

Conclusions:

  • Focal coronary artery spasm at the site of myocardial bridging was the likely cause of the patient's transmural ischemia.
  • PCI effectively treated the suspected spasm and resolved acute coronary syndrome symptoms.
  • Myocardial bridging did not present immediate clinical implications in this case.