Catheter-induced spasm of the left main coronary artery is rare during catheterization. We present several cases in which the occurrence of both ostial left main and right coronary spasm suggests that multiple sites of spasm may be a clue to this important diagnosis.

OBJECTIVES This study sought to examine effect of vitamin C, an antioxidant, on the abnormal vasomotor reactivity in spasm coronary arteries. BACKGROUND Oxygen free radicals generated in the arterial walls have been shown to cause endothelial vasomotor dysfunction. METHODS Responses of the epicardial arterial diameters of the left coronary arteries to the intracoronary infusion of acetylcho...

OBJECTIVES This study was conducted to clarify the incidence of coronary spasm in emergency patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and acute chest pain at rest. BACKGROUND Chest pain at rest is a frequent symptom in the emergency room. Acute coronary syndrome is suspected in patients with elevation of cardiac markers, ischemic electrocardiographic changes, or simply typical cli...

Introduction Recently, pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) with cryoballoon (CB) has been widely accepted as treatment for atrial fibrillation (AF). Especially, second-generation CB (Arctic Front Advance, Medtronic, Inc, Minneapolis, MN) has a high cooling effect, which can achieve durable lesions of pulmonary vein (PV) antrum and better clinical outcomes. On the other hand, several complications, s...

We established the incidence of coronary artery spasm provoked by 0.4 mg of methergine in 1089 consecutive patients undergoing coronary angiography. The test was performed after routine coronary arteriography. Subjects included patients with angina, both typical and atypical, patients who had recently had myocardial infarction and patients with either valvular disease or congestive cardiomyopat...

We established the incidence of coronary artery spasm provoked by 0.4 mg of methergine in 1089 consecutive patients undergoing coronary angiography. The test was performed after routine coronary arteriography. Subjects included patients with angina, both typical and atypical, patients who had recently had myocardial infarction and patients with either valvular disease or congestive cardiomyopat...

BACKGROUND The potential of multislice CT (MSCT) to predict coronary spasm has not been elucidated. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the morphological features observed on MSCT at the site of ergonovine-induced epicardial spasm could be used as diagnostic criteria for coronary spasm. METHODS AND RESULTS A total of 296 plaques in 199 patients with clinically suspected coronary ...

PURPOSE We experienced 3 cases of serious perioperative coronary artery spasm in off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB). In consideration of the causes, we directed our attention to hypomagnesemia, one of the triggers of coronary artery spasm. This study was performed to confirm the tendency to hypomagnesemia in OPCAB. METHODS First, we report 3 patients having severe coronary arter...

BACKGROUND Coronary spasm may play an important role in progression of organic coronary stenosis and myocardial infarction, but the mechanisms responsible for these complications are not known. This study aimed to examine whether the mode of onset and the duration of coronary spasm influenced progression of organic coronary stenosis and acute myocardial infarction in a swine model of coronary s...

Coronary artery spasm is an uncommon, but well recognized, etiology for acute myocardial infarction. However, cardiogenic shock with myocardial infarction resulting from simultaneous multiple coronary artery spasm has been rarely reported, and not in Korea. Recently, we experienced such a case in a 50-year-old Korean man without previous diagnosis of variant angina. The patient, hospitalized fo...