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Updated: Aug 15, 2026

Use of a Hanging Weight System for Coronary Artery Occlusion in Mice
Published on: April 19, 2011
[Foreign body causing coronary artery occlusion]
Insights
A sewing needle found in a coronary artery caused heart muscle damage. This cardiac injury, a rare autopsy finding, showed no symptoms for a year.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Pathology
- Forensic Medicine
Background:
- Coronary artery anomalies are rare.
- Foreign bodies in the cardiovascular system are exceptionally uncommon.
Observation:
- An incidental autopsy finding in a 45-year-old male revealed a sewing needle lodged in the descending branch of the left coronary artery.
- The presence of the foreign body led to coronary artery occlusion.
Findings:
- Coronary artery occlusion resulted in myocardial necrosis and subsequent fibrosis.
- Despite significant cardiac pathology, no clinical symptoms were observed during a one-year follow-up period.
Implications:
- This case highlights the potential for asymptomatic, severe cardiac pathology due to foreign bodies.
- Underscores the importance of thorough autopsy examination for identifying incidental findings.
- Suggests the heart's capacity to compensate or mask underlying damage in certain circumstances.
Abstract:
Authors in the descending branch of the left coronary at the autopsy of a 45 years old male--as an incidental finding--have found a foreign-body (sewing needle). Occlusion of the coronary was followed by necrosis and fibrosis of the myocard. During one year no clinical symptoms of myocard lesion were observed.
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