A case of delayed shock due to dissection of the hyperplastic coronary artery after balloon angioplasty and stenting

A 42-year-old obese woman with a history of liver cirrhosis and diabetes mellitus was admitted because of chest pain. Coronary balloon angioplasty and stenting were performed on the left anterior descending artery (LAD), which was 90% stenotic. She developed moderate shock about 6 h later, and about 15 h after the procedure, she died from excessive bleeding from the right femoral artery because of removal of the catheter sheath by herself. Autopsy disclosed haemorrhagic cardiac tamponade and extensive haemorrhage into the epicardial adipose tissue, however, neither coronary perforation nor myocardial rupture was recognized. Histological examination of the dilated coronary segment revealed extensive dissection with an eccentric intimal thickening and the disruption of the adventitia. It was thought to be the origin of the haemorrhage. Although coronary dissection is a well-known complication during cardiac catheterization procedures, this report describes a rare fatal case with delayed onset of shock due to coronary dissection caused by balloon angioplasty and stenting in the presence of eccentric hyperplasia of the vessel wall.