[A case of sudden death three months after successful PTCA].

A case report of the sudden death of a 64-year-old man, three months after successful percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). He was admitted because of non-Q-wave acute myocardial infarction. Coronary angiography showed 90% stenosis in the anterior descending artery (No. 6). PTCA was successful, but the proximal portion of anterior descending artery was dissected because the balloon slipped from the dilated site during inflation. Acute coronary occlusion was not observed. However, he died suddenly shortly after he complained of severe chest pain three months after PTCA. Histologically, the site of the dissecting artery showed that the intima and media of the arterial wall was disrupted and the lumen was severely stenotic with cellular proliferation. This dissection of the coronary artery is also important because rapid and severe stenosis was induced by the artery's being badly injured.