Bilateral Coronary Artery Aneurysms Research Articles

Bilateral coronary artery aneurysms with chronic total occlusion of the proximal left anterior descending coronary artery and apical aneurysm in a 32-year-old man.

Bilateral coronary artery aneurysms with chronic total occlusion of the proximal left anterior descending coronary artery and apical aneurysm in a 32-year-old man.

Association of Acute Anti-inflammatory Treatment With Medium-term Outcomes for Coronary Artery Aneurysms in Kawasaki Disease.

The impact of adjunctive anti-inflammatory treatment on outcomes for patients with Kawasaki disease (KD) and coronary artery aneurysms (CAAs) is unknown. Using data from the International KD Registry in patients with ≥ medium CAA we evaluate associations of treatment with outcomes and major adverse cardiac events (MACE). Medium or large CAA was present in 527 (32%) patients. All were treated with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), 70% were male, and the median age was 1.3 years (interquartile range: 0.4-4.0 years). The most common acute therapies included single IVIG alone in 243 (46%), multiple IVIG in 100 (19%), multiple IVIG+ corticosteroids in 75 (14%), and multiple IVIG+ infliximab+ corticosteroids in 44 (8%) patients. Patients who received therapy beyond single IVIG had a larger CA z-score at baseline (P < 0.001) and a higher rate of bilateral CAA (P< 0.001). Compared with IVIG alone, early adjunctive treatments (within 3 days of initial IVIG) were not associated with time to CAA regression or MACE, whereas later adjunctive therapy was associated with MACE and longer time to CAA regression. Patients receiving IVIG plus steroids vs IVIG alone had a trend towards shorter time to CAA regression and lower risk of MACE (P= 0.07). A larger CAA z-score at baseline was the strongest predictor of an increase in the CAA z-score over follow-up, lower likelihood of CAA regression, and higher risk of MACE. Persistence of CAA and MACE are more strongly associated with baseline severity CAA than with acute adjuvant anti-inflammatory therapy. Patients who received late adjunctive therapy are at higher risk for worse outcomes.

Intravascular ultrasound study and evidence of pathological coronary flow reserve in patients with isolated coronary artery aneurysms

Isolated coronary artery aneurysms (CA) are defined as non-obstructive lesions with luminal dilation > or =2-fold of normal coronary diameters. A coronary sinus study with incremental atrial pacing was performed in 19 patients with bilateral fusiform CA to investigate myocardial ischemia. Intravascular ultrasound was performed to characterize the lesions morphology. The average peak velocity in the aneurysmatic segment of the left anterior descending artery was simultaneously measured by a Doppler flow wire. Coronary flow volumes, vascular resistances and flow reserve after administration of papaverin were calculated. Ten patients without heart disease served as a control group (CG). Intravascular ultrasound revealed large true CA with a cross-sectional area of 34.2 +/- 4.1 mm(2) and only slight atherosclerosis. Exercise-induced myocardial ischemia was found in CA presenting with a cardiac lactate production and an only 1.6-fold increase in coronary blood flow. A significant smaller coronary flow reserve of 1.51 was revealed in CA when compared with CG (2.86, P < 0.02) corresponding to a coronary vascular resistance of 0.59 versus 0.35 (P < 0.03) mmHg (ml/min) after papaverin. Coronary artery aneurysms were unequivocally identified as an entity of ischemic non-obstructive coronary artery disease with a markedly reduced flow reserve.

Infliximab for the treatment of intravenous immunoglobulin resistant Kawasaki disease complicated by coronary artery aneurysms: a case report

This case report describes an 8 year old boy with IVIG resistant Kawasaki disease complicated by severe bilateral coronary artery aneurysms successfully treated with infliximab, a monoclonal antibody against tumour necrosis factor alpha.

Evidence of pathological coronary flow patterns in patients with isolated coronary artery aneurysms

Aim of our study was to evaluate the coronary flow patterns and therapeutic effects of nitroglycerin (NTG) in patients with isolated large coronary artery aneurysms (CA). CA are defined as nonobstructive lesions of the epicardial coronary arteries with a luminal dilation >or=two-fold of the normal diameters. The pathophysiology of a potential coronary insufficiency in this entity is still unknown. A coronary sinus study with incremental atrial pacing before and after the administration of 0.2 mg NTG was performed in 19 patients with bilateral large fusiform nonstenotic CA to evaluate an exercise-induced myocardial ischemia. The average peak velocity in the aneurysmatic segment of the proximal left anterior descending artery was simultaneously measured by a 14/1000 inch Doppler flow wire. The coronary flow volumes and vascular resistances were calculated. Evidence of exercise-induced myocardial ischemia was found in all patients presenting with a frank cardiac lactate production (10.2+/-3.3%) which was significantly aggravated by NTG (26.0+/-7.5%, P<0.003). 0.2 mg NTG provoked a long-lasting and significant decrease in coronary flow volume (from 140.2+/-34.2 to 91.2+/-21.8 ml/min, P<0.002), a marked increase in coronary vascular resistance (from 0.62 to 0.92 mmHG x ml/min(-1), P<0.002) and an inadequate increase in coronary flow volume under cardiac pacing. CA were identified as an entity of nonobstructive ischemic coronary artery disease with an exercise-induced myocardial ischemia and impaired flow volume. NTG exerted an adverse vasoactive effect in CA.

Facial palsy in Kawasaki syndrome

Facial nerve palsy, a very rare complication of Kawasaki syndrome, has been reported in only 25 patients. We treated a 12-week-old boy with bilateral coronary artery aneurysms due to Kawasaki syndrome who developed marked unilateral peripheral facial nerve palsy on day 36 of illness. None of the 25 previously reported patients with this complication were treated with immunoglobulin; they required 7 to 90 days to recover. In our patient, treatment with this agent was associated with complete resolution of facial nerve palsy within 36 hours. Review of prior cases demonstrates that children with Kawasaki-associated facial nerve palsy have more than twice the risk for coronary artery aneurysm (52% vs <25%) as that of children who do not develop this neurological complication. Unexplained facial nerve paralysis in young children with a prolonged febrile illness should provoke consideration of Kawasaki syndrome and of echocardiography to exclude coronary artery aneurysms. Although facial palsy appears likely to resolve in all patients that survive the acute phase of Kawasaki syndrome, treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin appears to considerably shorten the time to full recovery and provides an important clue to the mechanisms of neurological injury in this illness.

Bilateral coronary artery aneurysms with ventricular septal defect, aortic regurgitation and ectasic dilation of the rigkt subclavian artery

Bilateral coronary artery aneurysms with ventricular septal defect, aortic regurgitation and ectasic dilation of the rigkt subclavian artery