Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 22, 2026

Catheter Ablation in Combination With Left Atrial Appendage Closure for Atrial Fibrillation
Published on: February 26, 2013
Recurrent Thrombosis in a Case of Coronary Ectasia with Large Thrombus Burden Successfully Treated by Adjunctive
Hung-Hao Lee1, Tsung-Hsien Lin2, Ho-Ming Su2
1Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital;
Insights
Coronary ectasia with large thrombus burden can resist standard acute myocardial infarction treatments. Long-term warfarin combined with antiplatelet therapy may restore blood flow when other methods fail.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Interventional Cardiology
Background:
- Coronary ectasia (CE) is an uncommon condition often associated with coronary artery stenosis.
- Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in CE patients presents unique challenges due to potential large thrombus burden.
- Standard AMI treatments may be insufficient for CE patients with significant thrombotic load.
Observation:
- A patient with CE experienced two episodes of AMI within two weeks.
- Initial percutaneous coronary intervention with aspiration thrombectomy failed to restore adequate blood flow.
- Pharmacological management with heparin, antiplatelets, and glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors yielded poor results.
Findings:
- The patient was subsequently treated with dual antiplatelet therapy plus warfarin.
- Follow-up angiography demonstrated restored TIMI 3 flow, indicating successful blood flow restoration.
- This suggests a potential benefit of long-term anticoagulation in specific CE cases.
Implications:
- For CE patients with large thrombus burden unresponsive to standard AMI treatment, long-term warfarin combined with antiplatelet therapy is a viable alternative.
- This therapeutic approach may effectively reduce thrombus burden and improve coronary blood flow.
- Further research is warranted to validate this treatment strategy for coronary ectasia.
Unlabelled:
Coronary ectasia (CE) is an uncommon disease. Most patients with CE have coexisting coronary artery stenosis, which can easily lead to acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The current standard treatment for AMI is well-established. However, for CE patients, the standard treatment might fail because of the large thrombus burden. We report a case of CE suffering from AMI twice during a two week period. Percutaneous coronary intervention with aspiration thrombectomy was performed but failed to restore adequate blood flow. Heparin and antiplatelet treatment including glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor was given for pharmacological management, but follow-up angiography still revealed a poor result. This patient was finally treated with dual antiplatelet therapy in combination with warfarin treatment. Follow-up coronary angiography a few months later showed restored TIMI 3 flow. This patient reminds us that in CE patients with large thrombus burden, if standard treatment fails, long-term warfarin in combination with antiplatelet might be a good alternative choice to decrease thrombus burden and enhance blood flow.
Key Words:
Acute myocardial infarction; Anticoagulation; Aspiration thrombectomy; Coronary ectasia; Warfarin.
Related Concept Videos
Venous Thrombosis III: Interprofessional Care
Anticoagulant Drugs: Vitamin K Antagonists and Direct Oral Anticoagulants
Warfarin, a prominent vitamin K antagonist family member, exerts its effect by inhibiting the enzyme VKORC1 (vitamin K epoxide reductase complex 1). By hindering this enzyme, warfarin...
Anticoagulant Drugs: Low-Molecular-Weight Heparins
Pulmonary Embolism II: Diagnostic Studies and Interprofessional Care
Coronary Artery Disease V: Interprofessional Care
Venous Thrombosis I: Introduction

