“Giant” Coronary Aneurysm

A right coronary artery saccular aneurysm leading to an embolic myocardial infarction during diagnostic cardiac catheterization: A case report

Coronary artery aneurysms are localized dilatations greater than 1.5 times the diameter of the adjacent segments. These rarely seen abnormalities may lead to serious life-threatening complications such as myocardial infarction, coronary perforation and death. Here, we present a case of periprocedural thromboembolic inferior myocardial infarction arising from a proximal right coronary artery saccular aneurysm during a diagnostic coronary angiography in a stable 70-year-old patient.

Giant right coronary artery aneurysm presenting as a paracardiac mass

Coronary artery aneurysms, commonly atherosclerotic, are usually asymptomatic and can be diagnosed incidentally during investigation for ischemic heart disease or on autopsy. An asymptomatic giant right coronary artery aneurysm presenting as a paracardiac mass discovered on autopsy is reported here. Even though there was great concern due to its large size, complex atherosclerotic lesions, and potential obstruction of blood flow, it had no direct link to the cause of death. We also review the literature on giant right coronary artery aneurysms exceeding 5 cm in the last 10 years.

Right coronary artery aneurysm: percutaneous treatment with graft-coated stent during the acute phase of myocardial infarction

We report a case of acute myocardial infarction due to acute thrombosis of the right coronary artery just before a large atherosclerotic aneurysm. The patient was treated with primary percutaneous coronary angioplasty (PCA) and deployment of graft-coated stent with optimal final result. Patients with atherosclerotic coronary aneurysms usually show the same cardiovascular risk factors and the same clinical presentation of patients with atherosclerotic obstructive coronary artery disease, but with an increased risk of endovascular thrombosis and consequently more frequent episodes of distal coronary embolism. Furthermore, they may develop other specific complications, such as rapid aneurysm enlargement and rupture leading to cardiac tamponade. In conclusion, our report shows that percutaneous approach to coronary aneurysms with exclusion of aneurismal lumen by placement of graft-coated stent is a feasible and safety procedure even during the acute phase of myocardial infarction, and it may probably reduce the risk of subsequent distal embolization, improving myocardial perfusion.