title: Multiple episodes of ventricular tachycardia induced by silent coronary vasospasm.
abstract: We present a 46-year-old patient who suffered from cardiac arrest and subsequently underwent placement of an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). The patient underwent a cardiac catheterization which revealed no significant coronary artery disease. About 1 year later he experienced appropriated and frequent ICD discharges due to monomorphic ventricular tachycardia (VT) with left bundle branch block morphology. His prodromal symptoms were mild dizziness and lightheadedness with no chest pain. Amiodarone, mexiletine, sotalol and dofetilide as well as ablation of two inducible ventricular tachycardias in the electrophysiology studies were unsuccessful in controlling the arrhythmias and ICD discharges. During the last episode, he experienced a mild burning sensation in his chest and was given nitroglycerin 0.4 mg sublingually, which relived his symptoms and aborted the VT. This led to a second cardiac catheterization to investigate whether the VT was being induced by myocardial ischemia. This second coronary angiogram spontaneously revealed significant coronary vasospasm and simultaneously, the patient's cardiac rhythm showed short runs of VT with left bundle branch block morphology. Intracoronary nitroglycerine relieved the coronary vasospasm and terminated the arrhythmia. The patient was treated with isosorbide mononitrate and diltiazem. He remained symptom free with no ICD discharges and no VT in ICD interrogations for more than 2 years. Coronary vasospasm may be silent and with no chest pain which creates a difficult clinical situation particularly if it is associated with ventricular tachycardia and sudden cardiac death. The mechanisms of VT in the setting of coronary vasospasm are not known and increased automaticity, focal discharges, functional unidirectional block with reentry, or a combination of these mechanisms may contribute to inducing the VT during the transient ischemia or rarely in the reperfusion phase. It is important to perform provocative tests to diagnose silent coronary vasospasm in unexplained sudden cardiac arrests.
authors.affiliation: University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA. asovari@mednet.ucla.edu
authors.forename: Ali Alizadeh
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Sovari
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cesario
authors.forename: Abraham G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Kocheril
authors.forename: Ramon
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Brugada
mesh_terms: D006328:Cardiac Catheterization; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003329:Coronary Vasospasm / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D017147:Defibrillators, Implantable; D004562:Electrocardiography; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D005996:Nitroglycerin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D017180:Tachycardia, Ventricular / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D014665:Vasodilator Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D014665:Vasodilator Agents; D005996:Nitroglycerin