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PubMed1997

Antithrombotic treatment in stable coronary syndromes: long-term intermittent urokinase therapy in end-stage coronary artery disease and refractory angina pectoris.

Interventions that modify lipid metabolism and blood coagulation have been shown to favourably influence the natural course of coronary artery disease in terms of the primary prevention and treatment of acute cardiovascular events. Various findings suggest that such interventions may also preserve and enhance myocardial perfusion in the chronic stage of the disease. Long-term intermittent urokinase therapy was developed for patients with end-stage coronary artery disease and refractory angina pectoris. A dose of 500,000 IU of urokinase given intravenously as a bolus three times a week for of 12 weeks reduced symptoms by 70% and was accompanied by objective improvements in myocardial perfusion and an increase of ergometric exercise capacity. The possible therapeutic mechanisms of long-term intermittent urokinase therapy-improvement of rheological blood properties mediated by fibrinogen reduction, thrombolysis of non-occlusive subclinical thrombi, and regression of atherosclerotic plaques-are discussed in the context of other antithrombotic approaches.

Angina Pectoris↗

PubMed2002

Pravastatin in elderly individuals at risk of vascular disease (PROSPER): a randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Although statins reduce coronary and cerebrovascular morbidity and mortality in middle-aged individuals, their efficacy and safety in elderly people is not fully established. Our aim was to test the benefits of pravastatin treatment in an elderly cohort of men and women with, or at high risk of developing, cardiovascular disease and stroke. METHODS: We did a randomised controlled trial in which we assigned 5804 men (n=2804) and women (n=3000) aged 70-82 years with a history of, or risk factors for, vascular disease to pravastatin (40 mg per day; n=2891) or placebo (n=2913). Baseline cholesterol concentrations ranged from 4.0 mmol/L to 9.0 mmol/L. Follow-up was 3.2 years on average and our primary endpoint was a composite of coronary death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, and fatal or non-fatal stroke. Analysis was by intention-to-treat. FINDINGS: Pravastatin lowered LDL cholesterol concentrations by 34% and reduced the incidence of the primary endpoint to 408 events compared with 473 on placebo (hazard ratio 0.85, 95% CI 0.74-0.97, p=0.014). Coronary heart disease death and non-fatal myocardial infarction risk was also reduced (0.81, 0.69-0.94, p=0.006). Stroke risk was unaffected (1.03, 0.81-1.31, p=0.8), but the hazard ratio for transient ischaemic attack was 0.75 (0.55-1.00, p=0.051). New cancer diagnoses were more frequent on pravastatin than on placebo (1.25, 1.04-1.51, p=0.020). However, incorporation of this finding in a meta-analysis of all pravastatin and all statin trials showed no overall increase in risk. Mortality from coronary disease fell by 24% (p=0.043) in the pravastatin group. Pravastatin had no significant effect on cognitive function or disability. INTERPRETATION: Pravastatin given for 3 years reduced the risk of coronary disease in elderly individuals. PROSPER therefore extends to elderly individuals the treatment strategy currently used in middle aged people.

Aged↗

PubMed2005

Myocardial perfusion defects and the left ventricular ejection fraction disclosed by scintigraphy in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism.

Patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) have increased risk of cardiovascular disease. For patients undergoing preoperative parathyroid imaging with 99mTc-sestamibi single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), we combined cervical SPECT and gated cardiac SPECT to achieve information about the localization of parathyroid adenomas, myocardial perfusion, and the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) at rest. A series of 22 patients with PHPT and no history of myocardial infarction or angina pectoris were recruited consecutively. At 60 minutes after injection of 700 MBq 99mTc-sestamibi, SPECT of the neck and gated myocardial perfusion SPECT were performed at the same time. All of the patients who underwent parathyroidectomy had the parathyroid adenoma localized as predicted from the SPECT. Five patients (23%) had myocardial perfusion defects extending more than 15% (range 15-25%), and they had higher plasma parathyroid hormone levels (p = 0.03), and lower LVEF (p = 0.007) than patients without perfusion defects. We suggest that patients with hyperparathyroidism and suspected cardiovascular disease can undergo 99mTc-sestamibi parathyroid SPECT simultaneously with gated myocardial perfusion SPECT to obtain information about the resting perfusion status and cardiac systolic function. The results from myocardial perfusion SPECT can lead to initiation of cardiovascular treatment and eventually perioperative precautions.

Adenoma↗

PubMed1995

Screening experience and baseline characteristics in the West of Scotland Coronary Prevention Study. The WOSCOPS Study Group. West of Scotland Coronary Prevention Study.

The West of Scotland Coronary Prevention Study (WOSCOPS) is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of pravastatin in a primary prevention context. The primary end point of the trial is definite coronary artery disease (CAD) death and/or nonfatal acute myocardial infarction. This study describes the baseline characteristics of the trial recruits and of the subjects who were screened during the recruitment process; 6,595 men, aged 45 to 64 years, with raised cholesterol levels, were randomized in equal numbers to placebo or pravastatin after initial screening of approximately 81,000 subjects in the West of Scotland. With the exception of cholesterol levels and history of CAD, the recruits had a similar risk factor profile and demographic distribution to the group of screenees from which they were selected. Compared with previous primary prevention studies of cholesterol-lowering drugs, the WOSCOPS recruits are, on average, 7 to 9 years older than subjects in other trials and have average total cholesterol levels 0.5 mmol/L (19.4 mg/dl) lower than those in the Helsinki Heart Study and the Lipid Research Clinics-Coronary Primary Prevention Trial. The study has achieved its initial goal of accumulating > 30,000 patient-years of randomized follow-up. Recruits had their final trial visits in the first half of 1995 and the main results will be available in the fourth quarter of 1995.

Age Factors↗

PubMed1997

Myocardial dysplasia in a 3rd-trimester fetus. An ultrasound and pathologic study.

Arrested myocardial development, often described as spongiosum heart, has been reported in association with obstructive semilunar valve disease and, much more rarely, as a primary disease in adolescents and adults. To our knowledge, this condition has never been diagnosed in utero. We describe the echocardiographic and pathoanatomic findings of the 1st case of myocardial dysplasia detected in utero by ultrasound. A 28-year-old woman, gravida 2, para 1, was referred to our unit at 34 weeks of gestation due to severe fetal hydrops. On echocardiography, we observed gross fetal cardiomegaly (particularly of the septal and ventricular myocardium), an unusually bright myocardial echostructure, thick trabeculations in both ventricular chambers, and severe loss of myocardial contraction. There were normal ventriculoarterial connections and no signs of obstructive semilunar valve disease. After fetal death, necropsy confirmed the presence of spongiosum heart and the diagnosis of myocardial dysplasia--which term best describes this disorder in its various temporal expressions. Because this condition has never before been observed prenatally, no consideration has been given to intrauterine management. We recommend that fetal cardiac function be monitored echocardiographically whenever a pregnant patient has a positive family history of this disease. There is a possibility that the life of the affected fetus might be prolonged beyond the gestational period by avoiding intrauterine cardiac decompensation, through early delivery. We recommend further that the parents of these children be advised of the risks associated with future pregnancies. Little is known about the pattern of inheritance of myocardial dysplasia, but the disorder appears to be familial. Therefore, the possibility that it may recur within the same generation must be taken into account.

Adult↗

PubMed1991

Long-term antiplatelet therapy for the prevention of vascular disease.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the effects of prolonged antiplatelet therapy on the primary and secondary incidence of vascular disease. DATA SOURCES: Twenty-five randomised trials in 29,000 patients with a history of vascular disease (the Antiplatelet Trialists' Collaboration) and two randomised trials in 27,000 individuals without a history of vascular disease (the British doctors' and American physicians' studies). STUDY SELECTION: The Antiplatelet Trialists' Collaboration obtained data from all randomised trials of secondary prevention completed before January 1988. The British doctors' and American physicians' studies are the only two completed randomised trials of primary prevention. DATA EXTRACTION: Data from the secondary prevention trials were provided by the Antiplatelet Trialists' Collaboration. Data from the primary prevention trials were extracted from the final published reports of these studies. DATA SYNTHESIS: In the secondary prevention trials, antiplatelet therapy reduced the rate of vascular disease by about 15% and the incidence of non-fatal myocardial infarction and stroke by about 30%. In the American physicians' study, but not the British doctors' study, the incidence of non-fatal myocardial infarction was also reduced. In neither primary prevention trial was there evidence of reduced rates of non-fatal stroke or vascular death; overall, fatal or disabling strokes were slightly more frequent among those assigned aspirin. CONCLUSIONS: For patients with a history of vascular disease, the benefits of antiplatelet therapy appear to outweigh any risks. Among 100 such patients, antiplatelet therapy for two years would prevent one death and two major non-fatal events. The balance of benefits and risks for individuals without a history of vascular disease is less clear because there is no firm evidence of a net reduction in either vascular death or disabling non-fatal vascular events among those treated with aspirin.

Aspirin↗

PubMed1990

Medical costs of coronary artery disease in the United States.

A model has been developed to determine the cost of coronary artery disease (CAD) based on the 5 primary events identified in the Framingham Study: acute myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, unstable angina pectoris, sudden death and nonsudden death. The costs for diagnostic and therapeutic service for patients with CAD were linked to medical decision algorithms outlining the diagnosis and management of patients with CAD. Because CAD is a changing illness not represented by a single event, the algorithm tracked patients for 5 years after the time of diagnosis, or until death, to develop average cost estimates. The estimated 5-year costs (in 1986 United States dollars) of the 5 CAD events were: acute myocardial infarction $51,211, angina pectoris $24,980, unstable angina pectoris $40,581, sudden death $9,078 and nonsudden death $19,697. The costs of major CAD surgical procedures were also calculated because of their impact on health care costs for patients with CAD. These include: coronary artery bypass surgery per case over 5 years $32,465, and angioplasty per case over 5 years $26,916. The high cost of CAD reflects the improved technology and more effective and expensive therapies now available.

Algorithms↗

PubMed2007

Absence of an interaction between the angiotensin-converting enzyme insertion-deletion polymorphism and pravastatin on cardiovascular disease in high-risk hypertensive patients: the Genetics of Hypertension-Associated Treatment (GenHAT) study.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to determine whether the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) insertion-deletion (ID) polymorphism interacts with pravastatin to modify the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) and other cardiovascular end points in a large clinical trial. METHODS: GenHAT is an ancillary study of the ALLHAT. The ACE ID genotyped population in the lipid-lowering arm of ALLHAT included 9467 participants randomly assigned to pravastatin (n = 4741) or to usual care (n = 4726). The efficacy of pravastatin in reducing the risk of primary outcome (all-cause mortality) and secondary outcomes (fatal CHD and nonfatal myocardial infarction, cardiovascular disease [CVD] mortality, CHD, stroke, other CVD, non-CVD mortality, stroke, and heart failure) was compared between the genotype strata (dominant model ID + II vs DD, additive model II vs ID vs DD), by examining an interaction term in a Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS: The relative risk of fatal CHD and nonfatal myocardial infarction among subjects randomized to pravastatin compared with subjects randomized to usual care was similar in subjects with the II genotype (hazard ratio [HR] 0.84, 95% CI 0.59-1.18), the ID genotype (HR 0.84, 95% CI 0.68-1.03), and the DD genotype (HR 0.99, 95% CI 0.77-1.27). CONCLUSIONS: We found no evidence that the ACE ID genotype was a major modifier of the efficacy of pravastatin in reducing the risk of cardiovascular events.

Aged↗

PubMed2004

[ACE inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor antagonists in acute coronary syndrome].

Angiotensin II (AT II) is a final product of the renin-anglotensin-aldosterone system (RAS) and presents one of the most influential factors in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, acute coronary syndrome, myocardial dysfunction and heart failure. ACE-inhibitors (ACEI), beside beta adrenergic blockers, are a cornerstone of the current chronic heart failure (CHF) treatment. Evidence based medicine has not yet proved any significant beneficial effects of ACEI in patients with unstable angina pectoris (UAP), although according to the SoLVD study testing the possible effects of ACEI in patients with significant left ventricular dysfunction and/or CHF, there was a significant hospitalization rate reduction as well as less transformation of UAP to myocardial infarction in patients treated with ACEI. In the GISSI 3, ISIS 4 and CCS studies, ACEI was given within the first 24 hours and continued for 4-6 weeks. According to pooled results, ACE inhibitor could save 11/1000 patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and only 1/1000 patients with non ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). In the SAVE, AIRE and TRACE studies, ACEI was started later, i.e. 3-16 days after acute myocardial infarction and continued for several years. ACEI therapy resulted in a significantly lower mortality during the first year, and an even 20% relative reduction in the total mortality during the 4-year follow up. The effects of ACEI were even more prominent in more severe myocardial dysfunction, as it was well known that they could slow or stop unfavorable myocardial remodeling. Conclusively, ACEI should be given as early as possible to all patients with acute myocardial infarction, if no contraindications. The HOPE study showed efficacy of ACEI in the primary prevention of ischemic heart disease in high risk individuals, and the EUROPA study showed a favorable effect of ACEI in the secondary prevention of ischemic heart disease in low risk patients. According to these findings, ACEI should be given permenantly following myocardial infarction. These findings suggest the need of a permanent treatment with ACEI in patients having sustaned myocardial infarction. Angiotensin-1 receptor antagonists (AT-1 antagonists) are a newer generation of neurohormonal antagonists, which block the effects of AT II produced not only through a classic, ACE-dependent pathway but also via alternative pathways (non ACE-dependent) and selectively bind to AT-1 receptors for AT II. Therefore, they have some theoretical advances in comparison with ACEI. There are 2 relevant studies elucidating their possible role in treating patients with or post-myocardial infarction. The OPTIMAAL study did not prove losartan to be better than an ACEI (captopril), while the VALIANT study showed that the effects of valsartan vs. captopril were statistically nonsignificantly different. Furthermore, there is no sense to combine AT-1 antagonist and ACEI, while a combination of AT-1 antagonist and a beta blocker is justified. In other words, AT-1 antagonist (the class effect is disputable) should be given to patients with acute myocardial infarction or to post-myocardial infarction patients who cannot take ACEI.

Angina, Unstable↗

PubMed2001

Intercessory prayer and cardiovascular disease progression in a coronary care unit population: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of intercessory prayer, a widely practiced complementary therapy, on cardiovascular disease progression after hospital discharge. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this randomized controlled trial conducted between 1997 and 1999, a total of 799 coronary care unit patients were randomized at hospital discharge to the intercessory prayer group or to the control group. Intercessory prayer, ie, prayer by 1 or more persons on behalf of another, was administered at least once a week for 26 weeks by 5 intercessors per patient. The primary end point after 26 weeks was any of the following: death, cardiac arrest, rehospitalization for cardiovascular disease, coronary revascularization, or an emergency department visit for cardiovascular disease. Patients were divided into a high-risk group based on the presence of any of 5 risk factors (age = or >70 years, diabetes mellitus, prior myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular disease, or peripheral vascular disease) or a low-risk group (absence of risk factors) for subsequent primary events. RESULTS: At 26 weeks, a primary end point had occurred in 25.6% of the intercessory prayer group and 29.3% of the control group (odds ratio [OR], 0.83 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.60-1.14]; P=.25). Among high-risk patients, 31.0% in the prayer group vs 33.3% in the control group (OR, 0.90 [95% CI, 0.60-1.34]; P=.60) experienced a primary end point. Among low-risk patients, a primary end point occurred in 17.0% in the prayer group vs 24.1% in the control group (OR, 0.65 [95% CI, 0.20-1.36]; P=.12). CONCLUSIONS: As delivered in this study, intercessory prayer had no significant effect on medical outcomes after hospitalization in a coronary care unit.

Age Factors↗

PubMed2001

Should patients with hypertension receive antithrombotic therapy?

The main complications of hypertension, i.e. coronary heart disease, ischaemic strokes and peripheral vascular disease (PVD), are usually related to thrombosis. Increasing evidence also suggests that hypertension fulfils the components of Virchow's triad, thus conferring a prothrombotic or hypercoagulable state, as evident by abnormalities of haemostasis, platelets and endothelial function. It therefore seems plausible that use of antithrombotic therapy may help prevent these thrombosis-related complications of hypertension. Indeed, hypertensive patients with an estimated 10-year CHD risk > or = 15% will have their cardiovascular risk reduced by 25% using antihypertensive treatment, but the addition of aspirin further reduces major cardiovascular events by 15%. Recent guidelines recommend the use of aspirin 75 mg daily for hypertensive patients who have no contraindication to aspirin, in one of the following categories: (i) secondary prevention - cardiovascular complications (myocardial infarction, angina, non-haemorrhagic stroke, peripheral vascular disease or atherosclerotic renovascular disease); and (ii) primary prevention - those with blood pressure controlled to < 150/90 mmHg and one of: (a) age > or = 50 years and target organ damage (e.g. LVH, renal impairment, or proteinuria); (b) a 10-year CHD risk > or = 15%; or (c) type II diabetes mellitus. However, some of the risks of aspirin administration, namely increased incidence of major bleeding events, may possibly outweigh the benefits, especially in low-risk individuals.

Aspirin↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Effects of a multifactorial prevention trial of coronary heart disease on the seasonal variation of the incidence of major cardiovascular events.

Under the influence of a primary prevention trial of coronary heart disease carried out for 10 years (1971-1982) in male subjects aged 40 to 60 years at entry, the curves of the seasonal variation of the incidence of myocardial infarction, sudden death and stroke were changed. The most important reductions of the incidence of these events were registered in spring and in September. In the rest of the year the effect of the action becomes variable according to the month and to the particular major events. These observations are discussed as related to their possible cause and to the necessity of a change of action methodology according to the period of investigation.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Homozygosity for angiotensinogen 235T variant increases the risk of myocardial infarction in patients with multi-vessel coronary artery disease.

OBJECTIVE: Molecular variants of the angiotensinogen (AGT) and the angiotensin II type 1 receptor (ATR) genes have been associated with the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) and myocardial infarction (MI), but data so far available are conflicting. The primary object of the paper is to verify this possible association by a rigorous, angiographically controlled study in a large sample of patients with or without multi-vessel CAD. DESIGN: We designed a large case-control study in Italian patients candidates for coronary artery bypass grafting, with angiographically documented multi-vessel CAD, compared to subjects with angiographically documented normal coronary arteries. METHODS AND RESULTS: AGT M235T and ATR A1166C gene polymorphisms were analysed in 699 subjects; 454 patients were candidates for coronary artery bypass grafting, having angiographically documented (mainly multi-vessel) CAD. An appropriate documentation of previous MI was obtained from 404/454 (89%, 247 with and 157 without MI). Subjects (n = 245) with angiographically documented normal coronary arteries, were included as control group (CAD-free group). CAD patients had a substantial burden of conventional risk factors as compared with controls free of coronary atherosclerosis. Age, gender, smoking habit and number of stenosed vessels were the only differences between patients with or without previous myocardial infarction, who were similarly exposed to the other conventional risk factors (including hypertension). AGT M235T and ATR A1166C allele and genotype frequencies were similar between CAD and CAD-free patients. In the CAD group, AGT 235T allele was found more frequently in subjects with a previous myocardial infarction (0.494 versus 0.414; P < or = 0.05). By logistic regression, homozygosity for AGT 235T variant appeared to confer 1.9-fold increased risk for MI in both the univariate and the multivariate (adjusted for age, gender, smoking habit and number of stenosed vessels) model. CONCLUSIONS: AGT 235 T homozygous patients with multivessel CAD have an increased risk of myocardial infarction as compared with subjects with clinically similar phenotype but different genotype.

Aged↗

PubMed2000

Differential effects of aspirin and non-aspirin nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs in the primary prevention of myocardial infarction in postmenopausal women.

The antiplatelet effect of aspirin reduces the risk of clinical manifestations of atherothrombosis by approximately 25% in secondary prevention settings. Data are limited in primary prevention of coronary heart disease, and even more in women. Here, we estimate the effects of aspirin and non-aspirin nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs in the primary prevention of myocardial infarction in postmenopausal women. We followed a cohort of 164,769 women, 50-74 years of age, registered in the General Practice Research Database in the United Kingdom, from January 1991 through December 1995. For aspirin and non-aspirin nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs, the risk of myocardial infarction associated with current use was compared with risk in non-users, using a nested case-control analysis. Overall, the relative risk of myocardial infarction associated with current use of aspirin of more than 1 month's duration was 0.56 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) = 0.26-1.21], and that of nonfatal myocardial infarction was 0.28 (95% CI = 0.08-0.91). Chronic use of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs was not associated with a protective effect (relative risk = 1.32; 95% CI = 0.97-1.81). These findings indicate that incomplete and reversible inhibition of platelet cyclooxygenase by non-aspirin nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs is not sufficient to produce clinically detectable cardiovascular protection comparable with that achieved by low-dose aspirin through irreversible inactivation of platelet cyclooxygenase.

Age Factors↗

PubMed1985

[A fatal disease of the heart in primary and secondary hemochromatosis].

In a 53 year-old man suffering from idiopathic hemochromatosis a massive myocardial siderosis occurred with disperse necroses and fibroses especially in subepicardial zone of the left ventricle. A similar picture was observed at secondary hemochromatosis in a 33 year-old woman with sideroblastic anemia after repeated blood transfusions. Both patients died of the failure of hypertrophic heart.

Adult↗

PubMed1997

Transferring patients for primary angioplasty: a retrospective analysis of 104 selected high risk patients with acute myocardial infarction.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the feasibility of primary coronary angioplasty as a treatment option in patients with acute myocardial infarction after initial diagnosis in a local community hospital. SETTING: Referral centre for interventional treatment of coronary artery disease. METHODS: During a five year period, 520 candidates for primary coronary angioplasty were treated in our institution, 104 after transfer from a community hospital. The transferred patients and the non-transferred patients (n = 416) were compared with regard to baseline clinical characteristics, time interval from symptom onset to treatment, and clinical outcome at six months. RESULTS: In this setting, the influence of transportation on total ischaemic time was limited, and there was no difference in clinical outcome between the transferred and the non-transferred patients. Clinical outcome was mainly dependent on the indication for transfer. CONCLUSIONS: Safe and expedient transportation may facilitate the more widespread use of primary angioplasty in patients with acute myocardial infarction. A large randomised multicentre trial is needed to compare the relative merits of intravenous thrombolytic treatment in a local hospital with primary angioplasty after transfer in selected high risk patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary↗

PubMed2003

Survival in patients with primary systemic amyloidosis and raised serum cardiac troponins.

Patients with primary systemic amyloidosis that affects the heart have a poor outlook. Cardiac troponins T and I (cTnT, cTnI) are highly specific and sensitive biomarkers of myocardial injury. Values of these troponins provide quantitative information about the disease. We retrospectively assessed 261 patients newly diagnosed as having primary systemic amyloidosis. Median survival for patients with detectable cTnT and cTnI (6 and 8 months, respectively), was worse than that for those with undetectable values (22 and 21 months, respectively). Median and 25th and 75th percentile values for cTnT were 0.024 microg/L, less than 0.01 microg/L, and 0.084 microg/L, and for cTnI were 0.1 microg/L, 0.05 microg/L, and 0.24 microg/L, respectively. After multivariate analysis, cTnT proved a better predictor of survival than cTnI.

Adult↗

PubMed1982

Recurrent primary coronary artery dissecting aneurysm (hematoma).

A 40-year-old man with recurrent spontaneous (non-iatrogenic) primary coronary artery dissecting aneurysm (hematoma) apparently survived long enough to permit spontaneous healing of the first coronary arterial lesion, as well as the myocardial infarct that accompanied it. Death was due to a recent myocardial infarct, located at a different site than the first one, and caused by a recent coronary artery dissection, involving a different coronary artery. The nature of the coronary artery disease was not identified until the time of necropsy. It was not related to coronary atherosclerosis, or demonstrable systemic vascular disease. Spontaneous primary coronary artery dissecting aneurysm is a rare condition. Survival, with complete healing, without the aid of surgical therapeutic intervention, has not yet been reported. The finding of a healed myocardial infarct, in the presence of grossly normal appearing coronary arteries, indicates a necessity for extremely careful histologic examination, including use of special staining procedures of the arteries supplying the areas of infarction.

Adult↗