Extreme protective action of coronary collateral vessels in complete occlusion of the left main coronary artery

Survival from acute occlusion of the left main coronary artery with preexisting collateral vessels--a case report

A thirty-two-year-old man suffered from evolving acute myocardial infarction caused by total occlusion of the left main coronary artery, which was 95% stenosed before the onset. Nevertheless, he had a good clinical course. The myocardium may have been protected by well-developed preexisting collateral vessels as evidenced by serial coronary angiograms.

Total obstruction of the left main coronary artery

A rare and often fatal condition, total obstruction of the left main coronary artery has been treated with increasing success in both acute and chronic clinical settings. Seventeen patients with acute occlusion have been reported in the literature. All were discovered at the time of acute periinfarction catheterization and were treated aggressively with intracoronary thrombolysis, percutaneous transluminal angioplasty, emergency bypass surgery, or a combination of techniques. Chronic total occlusion of the left main coronary artery has been reported in 59 patients, including 3 at our institution. These patients present with chronic but increasingly severe angina. A right dominant coronary anatomy is always found, usually with well-developed right-to-left collaterals. The results of surgical revascularization in our 3 patients and in 45 others described in the literature support the safety and efficacy of this approach.