title: Coronary artery dissection after surgical cryoablation procedure.
abstract: Cryoablation can be used to treat atrial fibrillation (AF) surgically. We describe a 71-year-old woman who underwent cryoablation after 6 months of AF. Four hours post-surgery, electrocardiographic changes were observed in the circumflex artery territory associated with hemodynamic instability, which responded to inotropic agents. Angiography revealed a diffuse circumflex artery spasm with a heterogeneous aspect of the posterior branch evoking a dissection. Platelet anti-aggregant and trinitrine therapy were started. Recovery was uneventful and the patient was discharged on day 13. Cryoablation-associated circumflex artery dissection is rare. Caution is required when locating the ablation lines to avoid coronary artery injury.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Rouen University Hospital, Rouen, France. fabien.doguet@chu-rouen.fr
authors.forename: Fabien
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Doguet
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Le Guillou
authors.forename: Pierre Yves
authors.initials: PY
authors.lastname: Litzler
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bouchart
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nafeh-Bizet
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cribier
authors.forename: Jean Paul
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Bessou
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000601:surgery; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000293:injuries*; D003452:Cryosurgery / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans