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Chronic total occlusion of the left main coronary artery
K Sugishita1, T Shimizu, K Kinugawa
1Internal Medicine II, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku.
Insights
Chronic total occlusion of the left main coronary artery is rare. Three patients with this condition underwent successful bypass surgery, with long-term follow-up demonstrating positive outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Interventional Cardiology
Background:
- Left main coronary artery (LMCA) disease is a critical condition.
- Chronic total occlusion (CTO) of the LMCA is exceptionally rare, posing significant clinical challenges.
Abstract:
We report 3 patients with chronic total occlusion of the left main coronary artery, which is considered to be very rare. In all three cases, coronary arteriograms showed a total occlusion of the left main coronary artery with good collaterals from the intact right coronary arteries. All of the patients underwent successful coronary artery bypass surgery; two of the cases were followed up for more than 10 years after the surgery. The Japanese literature is reviewed, and a comparison of foreign and Japanese cases is discussed.