Coronary artery spasm during anesthesia for liver resection

Intraoperative coronary artery spasm (CAS) is rare, and most cases have been reported during cardiac surgery (4, 7, 12). The following is a case report of a patient undergoing liver resection developing CAS, resulting in well-documented ST-segment elevation in lead II and V5 of the electrocardiogram (ECG) and severe hemodynamic instability. The coronary spasm was successfully treated with intravenous nitroglycerin. Postoperatively, a coronary angiogram documented CAS in the absence of significant coronary artery disease, confirming the clinical diagnosis of CAS.