Is Coronary Artery Ectasia a Progressive Disease? A Self-Controlled Retrospective Cohort Study

Acute Coronary Syndrome in a 40-Year-Old Male With Coronary Ectasia: A Case Report

Coronary artery ectasia (CAE) is a relatively uncommon condition that is often identified incidentally during coronary angiography. It can lead to altered hemodynamics and an increased risk of thrombotic events. This case report outlines the clinical progression of a 40-year-old male diagnosed with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Coronary angiography demonstrated complete occlusion of the ectatic left circumflex artery (LCx) and dominant right coronary artery. The patient underwent thrombus aspiration, which reinstated normal coronary flow (TIMI III) and uncovered a large eccentric, ball-like thrombus within the vessel. Stenting was not feasible due to the size of the ectasia. This case illustrates the diagnostic and therapeutic challenges in managing ACS in patients with CAE and emphasizes the need for additional research to determine optimal treatment strategies for enhancing long-term outcomes.

Five-years' prognostic analysis for coronary artery ectasia patients with coronary atherosclerosis: A retrospective cohort study

Background

Most of coronary artery ectasia (CAE) patients have comorbid coronary atherosclerosis. It was lack of prognostic data for CAE patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) and for whom with acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

Objective

To determine the overall prognosis for CAE patients.

Materials and methods

This study was a retrospective cohort study. Fifty-one patients with CAE and comorbid AMI (CAE + AMI) and 108 patients with CAE and comorbid CHD (CAE + CHD) were enrolled and matched to non-CAE subjects at a ratio of 1:3 using a propensity score method, respectively. Controls for CAE + AMI group were 153 AMI patients, controls for CAE group were 324 CHD patients and 329 participants with relatively normal coronary arteries (CON). We followed them up to observe major cardiovascular events (MACE).

Results

The Kaplan-Meier curves showed that the prognosis in CAE + AMI group was worse than in AMI group (5-year non-MACE rate: 62.70% vs. 79.70%, P = 0.010), the prognosis in CAE group was worse than in CHD and CON groups (5-year non-MACE rate: 74.10% vs. 85.80% and 96.70%, respectively, P = 0.000). The main MACEs in CAE + AMI and CAE groups were AMI reoccurrence (19.61% vs. 4.57%, P = 0.002) and re-hospitalization due to repeated angina pectoris (14.81% vs. 8.33% and 2.74%, P = 0.000), respectively. Additionally, the COX regression analysis revealed that the protective factors for preventing MACE in CAE + AMI group included antiplatelet agents (hazard ratio = 0.234, P = 0.016) and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor inhibitor (ACEI/ARB, hazard ratio = 0.317, P = 0.037). Whereas the main factor promoting MACE in CAE group was the degree of coronary stenosis (Gensini score, hazard ratio = 1.011, P = 0.022).

Conclusion

The prognosis of patients with CAE + AMI was worse than that of those with AMI. The overall prognosis of patients with CAE was worse than that of those with CHD. CAE + AMI and CAE groups had different characteristics; the former was prone to AMI reoccurrence, and the latter was prone to repeated angina pectoris. To prevent MACE, medications, including antiplatelets and ACEI/ARBs, are indicated for patients with CAE + AMI, whereas prevention of the progression of atherosclerotic lesions is indicated for patients with CAE.