title: Bullet embolization to a coronary artery.
abstract: A rare case of coronary artery embolization is presented. A 48-year-old man arrived with multiple pellet wounds, severe chest pain, and an inferior myocardial infarction. Chest roentgenograms showed one of the pellets overlying the cardiac shadow, and coronary arteriography revealed complete occlusion of the posterior descending branch of the right coronary artery with a radiopaque foreign body, which corresponded exactly to the pellet first seen. Intravascular arterial embolization of small caliber bullets has been reported in the abdomen, lower extremities, and the carotid territory. Here we report such an event occurring in the coronary circulation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, Hospital Centro Medico de Caracas, San Bernardino, Venezuela.
authors.forename: H R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Hopkins
authors.forename: D P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Pecirep
mesh_terms: D001158:Arteries; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003331:Coronary Vessels; D004562:Electrocardiography; D004617:Embolism / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D005548:Foreign-Body Migration / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D014948:Wounds, Gunshot / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*