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(Circulation. 2004;110:e500-e501.)
© 2004 American Heart Association, Inc.

Images in Cardiovascular Medicine

Isolated Right Ventricular Infarction Resulting From Occlusion of a Nondominant Right Coronary Artery

Shawn A. Gregory, MD; Akshay S. Desai, MD, MPhil; Michael A. Fifer, MD

From the Cardiology Division, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass (S.A.G., M.A.F.), and the Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass (A.S.D.).

Correspondence to Shawn A. Gregory, MD, Cardiology Division, Massachusetts General Hospital, Yawkey Center-Suite 5800, 55 Fruit St, Boston, MA 02114. E-mail sagregory@partners.org

An extract of the first 250 words of the full text is provided, because this article has no abstract.

A 58-year-old man with no history of heart disease presented to the emergency department having experienced 1 hour of progressive chest pain. His heart rate was 80 bpm and his blood pressure was 176/92 mm Hg; the results of the physical examination were otherwise unremarkable. The administration of sublingual nitroglycerine caused a precipitous drop in his blood pressure to 90/50 mm Hg. A 12-lead ECG showed a 1-mm ST-segment elevation in leads III, aVF, and V₁ (Figure 1A). The placement of right-sided precordial leads revealed a 2-mm ST-segment elevation in lead V₄R (Figure 1B). Emergency coronary arteriography demonstrated a left dominant coronary circulation with nonobstructive disease in the left anterior descending coronary artery and the posterior descending branch of the left circumflex coronary artery and a total occlusion of the proximal right coronary artery distal to the conus branch (Figure 2A). The nondominant right coronary artery occlusion was managed with balloon dilation and stenting (2.25 mmx15.0 mm stent), resulting in the immediate resolution of chest pain and ST-segment elevation (Figure 2B). The peak creatine kinase-MB level was 10.1 ng/mL, and the peak troponin T level was 0.37 ng/mL. Subsequent echocardiography was normal, and the patient recovered without sequelae. Clinically recognized right ventricular myocardial infarction resulting from a nondominant right coronary artery is rare. Previous reports indicate that ECG changes may be less dramatic than those that were observed in our patient.

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Circulation 2004 110: 3157. [Extract] [Full Text]