Giant coronary artery aneurysm with a thrombus secondary to Kawasaki disease

Multiresistant Kawasaki Disease in a Young Infant with Giant Aneurysms Growing Fast

BACKGROUND

Kawasaki disease (KD) is a type of vasculitis in which giant coronary artery aneurysms (CAAs) can occur. There are no specific guidelines for managing giant CAAs that develop quickly and are at risk of rupture. Regarding cardiovascular drugs, only beta-blockers are formally recommended in the acute phase of KD.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 6-month-old male patient with multiresistant Kawasaki disease and giant CAAs that continued to enlarge after controlling systemic inflammation was examined. The patient required three doses of intravenous immunoglobulin, methylprednisolone pulses, and anakinra and infliximab to normalize systemic inflammation. Due to the rapid increment of aneurysms' dimensions and the risk of rupture, we introduced anticoagulant therapy and propranolol plus captopril, and titration doses were introduced according to a tolerated decrease in heart rate and arterial pressure. CAAs increment stabilized and slowly reduced their dimensions.

CONCLUSIONS

The authors describe an atypical case of multiresistant KD with giant rapidly increasing CAAs even after controlling systemic inflammation. The introduction of a beta-blocker and an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor was demonstrated to be useful for stabilizing giant CAAs growth and reducing the potential risk of rupture.

Giant coronary artery aneurysms complicating Kawasaki disease in Mexican children

BACKGROUND

One of the most important complications of Kawasaki disease is the development of giant coronary aneurysms. Risk factors for their development are still not clear.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was conducted at the National Institute of Paediatrics in Mexico City, Mexico. It included all patients with a diagnosis of acute Kawasaki disease between August, 1995 and August, 2015. Clinical and laboratory findings, as well as echocardiographic measurements, were recorded. Patients with giant coronary aneurysms (z-score⩾10) were compared with the rest of the patients. A value of p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals were calculated to define risk factors.

RESULTS

During the study period, 416 patients were diagnosed with Kawasaki disease. Of them, 34 developed giant coronary aneurysms during the acute stage of the disease. In the multivariate analysis, patients younger than 1 year, those with a higher duration of illness at the time of diagnosis, and those who received additional intravenous immunoglobulin showed a significantly higher frequency of giant coronary aneurysms.

CONCLUSIONS

One of the main factors associated with the development of giant coronary aneurysms was the delay in the diagnosis of Kawasaki disease. This finding highlights the importance of maintaining a high suspicion of the disease, which would enable an early diagnosis and prompt treatment and decrease the risk for developing giant coronary aneurysms.

Coronary artery thrombus resulting in sudden cardiac death in an infant with Kawasaki disease and giant coronary artery aneurysms

We report a case of a six-month-old Hispanic male infant who had Kawasaki disease and coronary artery aneurysms on echocardiography. He died suddenly five months later in spite of aggressive medical therapy. Autopsy showed extensive coronary artery thrombosis. Giant coronary artery aneurysms need diligent follow up as they pose significant risks including risk of thrombus, myocardial infarction and sudden death.