Heart failure in which coronary spasms played an important role.
A 69-year-old woman was admitted for further examinations and treatment of chest pain. Emergency cardiac catheterization showed no significant stenosis on coronary angiograms; however, diffuse wall hypokinesis was observed on a left ventriculogram. After treating the patient's heart failure, cardiac catheterization was performed again. A spasm provocation test showed coronary spasms of the right and left coronary arteries. A right ventricular endomyocardial biopsy revealed denaturation and fibrosis of the myocardium under the endocardium, thus suggesting the presence of myocardial ischemia. This case highlights coronary spasms as a cause of heart failure.
Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Hiroshima General Hospital of West Japan Railway Company, Japan.
Shinsuke
S
Oda
Yuichi
Y
Fujii
Hiroaki
H
Takemoto
Shuichi
S
Nomura
Hirofumi
H
Nakayama
Yasushi
Y
Toyota
Hiroshi
H
Nakamura
Hiroki
H
Teragawa
D000368:Aged; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization / Q000379:methods; D003329:Coronary Vasospasm / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans