The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, Vol 50, 653-655, Copyright © 1990 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons
Cystic medionecrosis of the coronary arteries and fatal coronary vasospasm
GH Segal, NB Ratliff and DM Cosgrove
Department of Pathology, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Ohio.
The histopathological basis of coronary vasospasm is not well defined. We
report a patient with directly observed coronary artery spasm in whom
cystic medionecrosis of the coronary arteries and great vessels and
myxomatous degeneration of the mitral valve were evident. We suggest that
myxoid connective tissue lesions of the heart may be linked to coronary
vasospasm.