Developing a national surveillance system for stroke and acute myocardial infarction using claims data in the Republic of Korea: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Limited information is available concerning the epidemiology of stroke and acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in the Republic of Korea. This study aimed to develop a national surveillance system to monitor the incidence of stroke and AMI using national claims data. METHODS: We developed and validated identification algorithms for stroke and AMI using claims data. This validation involved a 2-stage stratified sampling method with a review of medical records for sampled cases. The weighted positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) were calculated based on the sampling structure and the corresponding sampling rates. Incident cases and the incidence rates of stroke and AMI in the Republic of Korea were estimated by applying the algorithms and weighted PPV and NPV to the 2018 National Health Insurance Service claims data. RESULTS: In total, 2,200 cases (1,086 stroke cases and 1,114 AMI cases) were sampled from the 2018 claims database. The sensitivity and specificity of the algorithms were 94.3% and 88.6% for stroke and 97.9% and 90.1% for AMI, respectively. The estimated number of cases, including recurrent events, was 150,837 for stroke and 40,529 for AMI in 2018. The age- and sex-standardized incidence rate for stroke and AMI was 180.2 and 46.1 cases per 100,000 person-years, respectively, in 2018. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the feasibility of developing a national surveillance system based on claims data and identification algorithms for stroke and AMI to monitor their incidence rates.

Differential effect of left ventricular unloading according to the aetiology of cardiogenic shock.

AIMS: Evidence for the effectiveness of left ventricular (LV) unloading in patients who received venoaterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) or non-AMI induced cardiogenic shock (CS) is limited. The aim of the present study was to compare the effect of LV unloading in AMI-induced and non-AMI-induced CS. METHODS AND RESULTS: This is a single-centre retrospective observational study of patients with CS undergoing VA-ECMO from January 2011 to March 2019. Patients were classified as AMI-induced and non-AMI-induced CS. The association of LV unloading with 90-day mortality in both groups was analysed using Cox proportional hazard regression analysis. RESULTS: Of the 128 CS patients, 71 (55.5%) patients received VA-ECMO due to AMI-induced CS, and the remaining 57 (44.5%) received VA-ECMO due to non-AMI-induced CS. The modality of LV unloading was predominantly with IABP (94.5%). In the AMI-induced CS group, LV unloading did not reduce 90-day mortality (adjusted hazard ratio 1.96, 95% confidence interval 0.90-4.27, P = 0.089). However, in the non-AMI-induced CS group, LV unloading combined with VA-ECMO significantly reduced 90-day mortality (adjusted hazard ratio 0.37, 95% confidence interval 0.14-0.96, P = 0.041; P for interaction = 0.029) as compared with those who received VA-ECMO alone. CONCLUSIONS: LV unloading with VA-ECMO may reduce 90-day mortality compared with VA-ECMO alone in patients with non-AMI-induced CS, but not in AMI-induced CS.

Identifying Atrial Fibrillation With Sinus Rhythm Electrocardiogram in Embolic Stroke of Undetermined Source: A Validation Study With Insertable Cardiac Monitors.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) is a major potential cause of embolic stroke of undetermined source (ESUS). However, identifying AF remains challenging because it occurs sporadically. Deep learning could be used to identify hidden AF based on the sinus rhythm (SR) electrocardiogram (ECG). We combined known AF risk factors and developed a deep learning algorithm (DLA) for predicting AF to optimize diagnostic performance in ESUS patients. METHODS: A DLA was developed to identify AF using SR 12-lead ECG with the database consisting of AF patients and non-AF patients. The accuracy of the DLA was validated in 221 ESUS patients who underwent insertable cardiac monitor (ICM) insertion to identify AF. RESULTS: A total of 44,085 ECGs from 12,666 patient were used for developing the DLA. The internal validation of the DLA revealed 0.862 (95% confidence interval, 0.850-0.873) area under the curve (AUC) in the receiver operating curve analysis. In external validation data from 221 ESUS patients, the diagnostic accuracy of DLA and AUC were 0.811 and 0.827, respectively, and DLA outperformed conventional predictive models, including CHARGE-AF, C2HEST, and HATCH. The combined model, comprising atrial ectopic burden, left atrial diameter and the DLA, showed excellent performance in AF prediction with AUC of 0.906. CONCLUSIONS: The DLA accurately identified paroxysmal AF using 12-lead SR ECG in patients with ESUS and outperformed the conventional models. The DLA model along with the traditional AF risk factors could be a useful tool to identify paroxysmal AF in ESUS patients.

Electrocardiogram-based deep learning model to screen peripartum cardiomyopathy.

BACKGROUND: Peripartum cardiomyopathy, one of the most fatal conditions during delivery, results in heart failure secondary to left ventricular systolic dysfunction. Left ventricular dysfunction can result in abnormalities in electrocardiography. However, the usefulness of electrocardiography in the identification of peripartum cardiomyopathy in pregnant women remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a 12-lead electrocardiography-based artificial intelligence/machine learning-based software as a medical device for screening peripartum cardiomyopathy. STUDY DESIGN: This retrospective cohort study included pregnant women who underwent transthoracic echocardiography between a month before and 5 months after delivery and underwent 12-lead electrocardiography within 30 days of echocardiography between December 2011 and May 2022 at Seoul National University Hospital. The performance of 12-lead electrocardiography-based artificial intelligence/machine learning analysis (AiTiALVSD software; version 1.00.00, which was developed to screen for left ventricular systolic dysfunction in the general population) was evaluated for the identification of peripartum cardiomyopathy. In addition, the performance of another artificial intelligence/machine learning algorithm using only 1-lead electrocardiography to detect left ventricular systolic dysfunction was evaluated in identifying peripartum cardiomyopathy. The results were obtained under a 95% confidence interval and considered significant when P<.05. RESULTS: Among the 14,557 women who delivered during the study period, 204 (1.4%) underwent transthoracic echocardiography a month before and 5 months after delivery. Among them, 12 (5.8%) were diagnosed with peripartum cardiomyopathy. The results showed that AiTiALVSD for 12-lead electrocardiography was highly effective in detecting peripartum cardiomyopathy, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic of 0.979 (95% confidence interval, 0.953-1.000), an area under the precision-recall curve of 0.715 (95% confidence interval, 0.499-0.951), a sensitivity of 0.917 (95% confidence interval, 0.760-1.000), a specificity of 0.927 (95% confidence interval, 0.890-0.964), a positive predictive value of 0.440 (95% confidence interval, 0.245-0.635), and a negative predictive value of 0.994 (95% confidence interval, 0.983-1.000). In addition, a 1-lead (lead I) artificial intelligence/machine learning algorithm showed excellent performance; the area under the receiver operating characteristic, area under the precision-recall curve, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 0.944 (95% confidence interval, 0.895-0.993), 0.520 (95% confidence interval, 0.319-0.801), 0.833 (95% confidence interval, 0.622-1.000), 0.880 (95% confidence interval, 0.834-0.926), 0.303 (95% confidence interval, 0.146-0.460), and 0.988 (95% confidence interval, 0.972-1.000), respectively. CONCLUSION: The 12-lead electrocardiography-based artificial intelligence/machine learning-based software as a medical device (AiTiALVSD) and 1-lead algorithm are noninvasive and effective ways of identifying cardiomyopathies occurring during the peripartum period, and they could potentially be used as highly sensitive screening tools for peripartum cardiomyopathy.

Identification of cell-biologic mechanisms of coronary artery spasm and its ex vivo diagnosis using peripheral blood-derived iPSCs.

BACKGROUND: Although vasospastic angina (VSA) is known to be caused by coronary artery spasm, no study has fully elucidated the exact underlying mechanism. Moreover, in order to confirm VSA, patients should undergo invasive coronary angiography with spasm provocation test. Herein, we investigated the pathophysiology of VSA using peripheral blood-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and developed an ex vivo diagnostic method for VSA. METHODS AND RESULTS: With 10 mL of peripheral blood from patients with VSA, we generated iPSCs and differentiated these iPSCs into target cells. As compared with vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) differentiated from iPSCs of normal subjects with negative provocation test, VSA patient-specific iPSCs-derived VSMCs showed very strong contraction in response to stimulants. Moreover, VSA patient-specific VSMCs exhibited a significant increase in stimulation-induced intracellular calcium efflux (Changes in the relative fluorescence unit [ΔF/F]; Control group vs. VSA group, 2.89 ± 0.34 vs. 10.32 ± 0.51, p < 0.01), and exclusively induced a secondary or tertiary peak of calcium efflux, suggesting that those findings could be diagnostic cut-off values for VSA. The observed hyperreactivity of VSA patient-specific VSMCs were caused by the upregulation of sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase 2a (SERCA2a) due to its enhanced small ubiquitin-related modifier (SUMO)ylation. This increased activity of SERCA2a was reversed by treatment with ginkgolic acid, an inhibitor of SUMOylated E1 molecules (pi/µg protein; VSA group vs. VSA + ginkgolic acid, 52.36 ± 0.71 vs. 31.93 ± 1.13, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings showed that abnormal calcium handling in sarco/endoplasmic reticulum could be induced by the enhanced SERCA2a activity in patients with VSA, leading to spasm. Such novel mechanisms of coronary artery spasm could be useful for drug development and diagnosis of VSA.

Sudden unilateral hearing loss and vertigo following isolated cerebellar hypoperfusion without infarction due to vertebral artery dissection.

BACKGROUND: The definition of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) is broadly accepted as acute sensorineural hearing loss of more than 30 dB over at least three consecutive frequencies in a pure-tone audiogram (PTA). Acute audiovestibular loss is common with ischaemic stroke in the territory of the anterior inferior cerebellar artery (AICA). However, cases in which SSNHL and vertigo occur with hypoperfusion alone are very rare. We describe a patient who developed unilateral SSNHL and vertigo as initial symptoms caused by cerebellar hypoperfusion by vertebral artery (VA) dissection without the occurrence of infarction. CASE PRESENTATION: A 51-year-old man suddenly developed acute hearing loss (AHL) in his left ear and vertigo. On neurological examination, he had vibration-induced right-beating nystagmus and left-beating nystagmus after a head-shaking test. Additionally, he had apogeotropic nystagmus during head turns to either side. The head impulse test (HIT) was normal. PTA showed mild unilateral SSNHL in the left ear. Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and perfusion-weighted imaging (PWI) showed territorial perfusion deficits in the left posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) and anterior inferior cerebellar artery (AICA) without infarction. Two months later, the patient had no vertigo but still had hearing impairment in his left ear. A follow-up PTA documented persistent unilateral SSNHL in the left ear. Additionally, perfusion computed tomography (CT) showed that perfusion deficits remained in the left cerebellum along the PICA and AICA territories. CONCLUSIONS: Our case highlights a case of AHL and vertigo presented by isolated cerebellar hypoperfusion without infarction. It is necessary to consider the possibility of a central cause in patients with AHL and vertigo, and it is important to confirm this possibility through brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), including PWI, and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA).

Physiological Approach for Coronary Artery Bifurcation Disease: Position Statement by Korean, Japanese, and European Bifurcation Clubs.

Coronary artery bifurcation lesions are frequently encountered in cardiac catheterization laboratories and are associated with more complex procedures and worse clinical outcomes than nonbifurcation lesions. Therefore, anatomical and physiological assessment of bifurcation lesions before, during, and after percutaneous coronary intervention is of paramount clinical importance. Physiological assessment can help interventionalists appreciate the hemodynamic significance of coronary artery disease and guide ischemia-directed revascularization. However, it is important to understand that the physiological approach for bifurcation disease is more important than simply using physiological indexes for its assessment. This joint consensus document by the Korean, Japanese, and European bifurcation clubs presents the concept of a physiological approach for coronary bifurcation lesions, as well as current knowledge, practical tips, pitfalls, and future directions of applying physiological indexes in bifurcation percutaneous coronary intervention. This document aims to guide interventionalists in performing appropriate physiology-based assessments and treatment decisions for coronary bifurcation lesions.

The validation of the dual antiplatelet therapy score in East Asians receiving percutaneous coronary intervention with exclusively second generation drug-eluting stents.

OBJECTIVES: We investigated whether the dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) score (DS) predicts clinical outcome in an East-Asian population that received exclusively second generation drug-eluting stent (DES). BACKGROUNDS: It is uncertain whether the DS could adequately risk stratify patients exclusively receiving second generation DES. METHODS: From the Grand-DES registry, we evaluated patients who were treated with DAPT for at least 12 months and were event-free at 12 months after DES implantation. Patients were classified into two categories: high DS (≧2) (n = 3,157); and low DS (<2) (n = 5,226). The primary ischemic outcome was a composite of stent thrombosis and all myocardial infarction (MI), and the primary bleeding outcome was TIMI major or minor bleeding. A propensity score (PS)-matched analysis was done to correct for baseline differences between extended DAPT group and the conventional group. RESULTS: Among 8,383 subjects, the primary ischemic outcome occurred in 48 patients (0.6%) and the primary bleeding outcome in 49 patients (0.6%). High DS was associated with a higher incidence of ischemic events (ischemic outcome: 0.8% vs. 0.4%, for high vs. low DS, Log-rank p = .039), but not with any differences in bleeding events (Log-rank p = .734). In the PS-matched analysis, extended group was associated with lower risk of composite endpoint of MI, stent thrombosis, or cardiac death in only the high DS group (1.8% vs. 3.7%, Log-rank p = .004; hazard ratio 0.45, 95% confidence interval 0.27-0.76; p = .003 after adjustment). CONCLUSIONS: The DS was an adequate risk stratifier for future ischemic events in East Asians receiving exclusively second generation DES.

Relative Impact of Clinical Risk Versus Procedural Risk on Clinical Outcomes After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

BACKGROUND: The clinical outcome after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is affected by various clinical and procedural risk factors. We investigated the relative impact of clinical and procedural risks on clinical outcomes after PCI. METHODS: A total of 13 172 patients were enrolled from the Grand-DES registry. The population was grouped into tertiles (high-, intermediate-, low-risk) according to the number of prespecified clinical and procedural risk factors, respectively. The primary end point was major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) at 3 years post-PCI. RESULTS: MACCE occurred in 1109 (8.4%) patients during the follow-up period (median duration: 1126 days). Compared with procedural risk, clinical risk showed superior predictive power (area under the curve: 0.678 versus 0.570, P<0.001, for clinical and procedural risks, respectively) and greater magnitude of effect in the multivariate analysis for MACCE (Clinical risk: hazard ratio, 1.953 [95% CI, 1.809-2.109], P<0.001; procedural risk: hazard ratio, 1.240 [95% CI, 1.154-1.331], P<0.001). In subgroup analyses within each clinical risk tertile, procedural risk had no significant impact on MACCE in the lowest clinical risk tertile. An annual landmark analysis revealed that clinical and procedural risks were both significant predictors of MACCE, which occurred within the first and second year post-PCI. However, for MACCE occurring in the third year post-PCI, only clinical risk but not procedural risk was a significant predictor of events. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical and procedural risks were both significant predictors for ischemic clinical events in patients undergoing PCI. However, clinical risk had a greater and more prolonged effect on outcomes than procedural risk. Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT03507205.

Procedural optimization of drug-coated balloons in the treatment of coronary artery disease.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the effects of procedural optimization on the clinical outcomes of using the drug-coated balloon (DCB) in the treatment of coronary artery disease. BACKGROUNDS: Procedural optimization is considered an essential step in DCB treatment. METHODS: Data of consecutive patients who underwent DCB treatment at the Seoul National University Hospital were collected. The primary outcome was target lesion failure (TLF) at 2 years. RESULTS: Among 259 patients (309 lesions), TLF was observed in 31 (12.0%) patients. The following were modifiable procedural factors: residual percent diameter stenosis (%DS) after lesion preparation; DCB-to-vessel/stent ratio; time-delay to inflation; and total DCB inflation time. The best cutoff values for these parameters were 20%, 0.95, 25, and 60 s, respectively. The patients were classified based on the number of procedural factors that satisfied adequate criteria. TLF was observed in 7.3% in the fully optimized group, 9.1% in the partially optimized group, and 34.1% in the nonoptimized group over 2 years (p < .001). The adequacy of the four factors for DCB optimization was an independent predictor of TLF (adjusted hazards ratio for each unmet criteria for optimization, 2.05, 95% confidence interval 1.74-2.36, p < .001). CONCLUSION: The optimization of the four procedural factors could reduce TLF following DCB treatment.

Percutaneous Treatment of Unprotected Left Main Disease With Thin-Strut Durable-Polymer or Early Generation Thicker-Strutted and Coated Bioabsorbable-Polymer Drug-Eluting Stents in a Large-Scale Registry.

BACKGROUND: The ideal drug-eluting stent (DES) for the treatment of unprotected left main coronary artery (ULMCA) is unknown. We compared percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) using durable polymers versus early-generation, thicker strutted and coated bioabsorbable polymers for ULMCA disease. METHODS: Patients who underwent ULMCA PCI (893 patients) from April 2008 to November 2014 were identified from the Grand-DES registry. The primary end point was 3-year target lesion failure (TLF) after propensity score matching. RESULTS: The final analysis included 754 patients (84.4%) and 139 patients (15.6%) in the durable and bioabsorbable polymer group, respectively. The groups differed significantly in lesion and procedural characteristics. Propensity score-matched analysis revealed a trend toward a lower 3-year TLF in the durable polymer group (log rank p=0.071). Independent predictors of 3-year TLF were chronic kidney disease, presentation with acute myocardial infarction, and a two-stenting technique for ULMCA lesions. Definite/probable stent thrombosis rates at 3-years were low in both groups (0.8% vs. 0.7%, p=0.925). CONCLUSIONS: The safety of ULCMA PCI was excellent, and durable and bioabsorbable polymer DES provided similar clinical outcomes at 3-year follow-up. Landmark analysis revealed that the durable polymer group had a lower TLF rate from 9 months. Further studies are needed to confirm these results.

Optimal Oversizing Index Depending on Valve Type and Leakage-Proof Function for Preventing Paravalvular Leakage after Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation.

Paravalvular leak (PVL) is an important complication of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) and is associated with poor prognosis. We aimed to identify the risk factors for PVL after TAVI including patient (calcium amount or location), device (leakage-proof or not), and procedural (oversizing index (OI)) factors. The primary outcome was mild or greater PVL at 1-month follow-up echocardiography. Overall, 238 patients who underwent TAVI using eight types of valves (Edwards Sapien, Sapien XT, Sapien 3, CoreValve, Evolut R, Evolut PRO, Lotus, and Lotus Edge) were included. The incidence of significant PVL (≥mild PVL) was 24.4%. Although patient factors (calcification of valve) were not predictors of PVL, valve without leakage-proof function (Edwards Sapien, Sapien XT, and CoreValve) was a significant predictor of PVL (adjusted odds ratio, 3.194, 95% CI, 1.620-6.299). Furthermore, OI has a significant protective role against PVL (PVL increased by 45% when OI decreased by 5%). The best cutoff value of OI to predict the absence of PVL was ≥17.6% for the Evolut system and ≥10.2% for the Sapien system. The predictors of PVL after TAVI included factors from the device (valve without leakage-proof function) and procedure (under-sizing). In patients with a high risk of PVL, the procedure should be optimized using valves with leakage-proof function and adequate OI.

Sex Difference in the Association Between Metabolic Syndrome and Obstructive Coronary Artery Disease: Analysis of Data from the KoRean wOmen'S chest pain rEgistry (KoROSE).

Background: The sex-related impact of metabolic syndrome (MetS) on obstructive coronary artery disease (OCAD) has not been well evaluated. Methods: A total of 1156 patients (62 years and 58% women) with chest pain undergoing invasive coronary angiography (CAG) were recruited from the database of the nation-wide chest pain registry. MetS was defined according to the criteria of the International Diabetes Federation. OCAD was defined as ≥50% stenosis of the left main coronary artery and/or ≥70% stenosis of any other coronary arteries. Results: Women were older than men (65 vs. 59 years, p < 0.001). OCAD (32.0% vs. 30.9%) and MetS (27.8% vs. 27.9%) prevalence rates were similar in both sexes (p > 0.05). The presence of MetS was associated with higher prevalence of OCAD in women (24.5% vs. 47.3%, p < 0.001), but not in men (31.0% vs. 34.3%, p = 0.487). The linear association between the number of components meeting MetS criteria and OCAD prevalence was significant in both sexes (p < 0.001 for each), but it was stronger in women than in men (Chi-square value: 81.9 vs. 14.8, p < 0.001). In a multivariable model, the presence of MetS was independently associated with OCAD in women even after controlling for potential confounders (odds ratio, 1.92; 95% confidence interval, 1.31-2.81; p = 0.001). Conclusions: In patients with chest pain undergoing invasive CAG, the association between the number of components meeting MetS criteria and OCAD prevalence was stronger in women than in men.

Sarcopenia Index as a Predictor of Clinical Outcomes in Older Patients with Coronary Artery Disease.

To demonstrate the association of the serum creatinine/serum cystatin C ratio (sarcopenia index, SI) with clinical outcomes including cardiovascular and bleeding risk in older patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), we analyzed a multicenter nation-wide pooled registry. A total of 1086 older patients (65 years or older) who underwent PCI with second-generation drug-eluting stents (DES) were enrolled. The total population was divided into quartiles according to the SI, stratified by sex. The primary clinical outcomes were major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE, all-cause death, myocardial infarction and target lesion revascularization) and thrombolysis in myocardial infarction major and minor bleeding during a 3-year follow-up period. In the total population, MACE occurred within 3 years in 154 (14.2%) patients. The lowest SI quartile group (Q1) had a significantly higher 3-year MACE rate (Q1 vs. Q2-4; 23.1% vs. 11.2%, p < 0.001), while bleeding event rates were similar between the groups (Q1 vs. Q2-4; 2.6% vs. 2.2%, p = 0.656). The Cox proportional hazard model showed that lower SI is an independent predictor for MACE events (HR 2.23, 95% CI 1.62-3.07, p < 0.001). The SI, a surrogate for the degree of muscle mass, is associated with cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular death, but not with bleeding in older patients who underwent PCI.

Complete Revascularization of Multivessel Coronary Artery Disease Does Not Improve Clinical Outcome in ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Patients with Reduced Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction.

The benefit of complete revascularization (CR) in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients with left ventricular (LV) dysfunction is uncertain. A total of 1314 STEMI patients with multivessel coronary artery disease were analyzed. CR was defined angiographically and by a residual Synergy between PCI with Taxus and Cardiac Surgery trial (SYNTAX) score (SS) <8. Patients with a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) <40% were classified as the reduced LVEF group. The major study endpoints were patient-oriented composite outcome (POCO) and cardiac death during three-year follow-up. Overall, patients that received angiographic CR (579 patients, 44.1%) had significantly lower three-year clinical events compared with incomplete revascularization (iCR). CR reduced three-year POCO and cardiac death rates in the preserved LVEF group (POCO: 13.2% vs. 21.9%, p < 0.001, cardiac death: 1.8% vs. 6.5%, p < 0.001, respectively) but not in the reduced LVEF group (POCO: 26.0% vs. 33.1%, p = 0.275, cardiac death: 15.1% vs. 19.0%, p = 0.498, respectively). Multivariate analysis showed that CR significantly reduced three-year POCO (hazard ration (HR) 0.59, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.43-0.82) and cardiac death (HR 0.34, 95% CI 0.14-0.80), only in the preserved LVEF group. Additionally, the results were corroborated using the SS-based CR definition. In STEMI patients with multivessel disease, CR did not improve clinical outcomes in those with reduced LVEF.

Coronary vasospasm-induced syncope with dynamic changes of regional wall motion abnormalities confirmed real-time: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Coronary vasospasm is primarily characterized by transient and reversible vasoconstriction causing myocardial ischaemia and can manifest with various clinical features, including syncope. CASE SUMMARY: A 50-year-old man presented with recurrent episodes of syncope for 3 days. The last syncope history occurred during an early morning walk, accompanied by dizziness and loss of consciousness. There was no clear history of chest pain at the time. He smoked one pack of cigarettes daily and frequently consume alcohol. Approximately 3 h after admission, echocardiography initially revealed normal systolic function; however, during the examination, the patient suddenly complained of dizziness and regional wall motion abnormalities (RWMA) of the left anterior descending artery (LAD) territory were observed. Both RWMA and dizziness spontaneously improved within a few minutes. Emergency coronary angiography (CAG) was performed to confirm vasospasm. Coronary angiography revealed mild atherosclerosis of proximal LAD. After 3 min, he complained of dizziness and vague chest discomfort, and electrocardiogram revealed ST-segment elevation. We immediately performed angiography of the left coronary artery, and CAG revealed total occlusion of the proximal LAD without any provocation. After administration of intracoronary nitroglycerine, coronary flow was restored completely and ST-segment deviation normalized along with relief in chest discomfort. The patient's symptoms have not recurred for 3 months while being on calcium channel blocker and long-acting nitrates. DISCUSSION: Coronary vasospasm can present as transient and dynamic myocardial ischaemia along with angina. Coronary vasospasm should always be considered in the differential diagnosis for syncope.