Severe Coronary Artery Ectasia with ST Elevation MI: A Challenging Situation

Aim: To report a case of huge coronary artery ectasia presenting with acute myocardial infarction; a relatively rare finding encountered during coronary angiography.

Presentation of Case: A young male presented with chest pain and profuse sweating at a local hospital. Electrocardiogram showed Infero-posterior STEMI. Patient received streptokinase. His symptoms settled however the electrocardiogram changes did not resolve. He presented at our hospital after 24 hours with chest discomfort. He was vitally stable and a murmur of MR was audible. His Troponin-I was raised and electrocardiogram showed ST elevations with Q waves. Coronary angiogram showed giant ectasia and occluded right coronary artery (RCA). Percutaneous coronary intervention of RCA was done; with TIMI II flow but still had some residual thrombus. The patient was kept on Tirofiban infusion. His CRP and homocysteine levels were raised. Dual antiplatelet, statin, ACE Inhibitor, beta blocker with vitamin B12 and folic acid supplement were continued.

Discussion: Coronary artery ectasia is a form of atherosclerosis seen in 0.3–4.9% of coronary angiography procedures. It is described as dilation of the coronary arteries >1.5 times compared to adjacent normal vessel. An excessive expansive remodeling with enzymatic degradation of the extracellular matrix is considered to be the major pathophysiologic process. Clinical importance inclines on its association with acute coronary syndrome.

Conclusion: A case of huge coronary artery ectasia presenting with acute myocardial infarction and successfully treated with PCI.