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Published on: September 17, 2021
A rare cause of chest pain mimicking myocardial infarction
Kudret Keskin1, Murat Başkurt2, Faruk Aktürk3
1Department of Cardiology, Bahçelievler Medicana Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey. keskinkudret@yahoo.com.
Insights
A rare complication following endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) mimicked heart attack symptoms. This case highlights the importance of considering non-cardiac causes for chest pain after ERCP.
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology
- Cardiology
- Radiology
Background:
- Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is a common procedure for bile duct issues.
- Sphincterotomy during ERCP can lead to rare but serious complications.
Observation:
- A patient developed severe chest pain post-ERCP, initially suspected as myocardial infarction.
- Coronary angiography revealed severe coronary lesions but no complete blockages.
Findings:
- Further investigation identified pneumothorax, pneumomediastinum, and free air in the abdomen and retroperitoneum.
- These findings indicate a rare complication of ERCP involving gas dissection.
Implications:
- Cardiologists must be aware of these rare ERCP complications when evaluating chest pain.
- Differentiating ERCP-related complications from cardiac events is crucial for appropriate patient management.
Abstract:
We present a patient who underwent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography procedure for bile duct stone removal and sphincterotomy. Upon completion of the procedure, the patient experienced severe chest pain. Because myocardial infarction was the likely diagnosis, we immediately performed a coronary angiography, which identified severe coronary lesions without any total occlusion. Being skeptical of the possible cause, we searched for alternative causes and interestingly found pneumothorax, pneumomediastinum, and retro-intra-abdominal free air. This rare complication is particularly important for a cardiologist because they should be aware of such a complication, and correlation with the symptoms and coronary lesions should always be made.
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