Treatment of right ventricular perforation during percutaneous coronary intervention

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is widely used to treat stenotic coronary arteries caused by coronary heart disease. Coronary artery perforation is a rare but dreaded complication of PCI. Here, we report the successful treatment of a patient with coronary perforation of the right ventricular cavity. To our knowledge, this is the first report of its kind. The patient was a 69-year-old woman with intermittent chest tightness and chest pain of about five years’ duration who was hospitalised for severe chest tightness and pain persisting for three days. She had a history of hypertension and hyperlipidaemia; routine admission examination showed no other abnormalities. Results of routine blood, urine and stool tests, liver and kidney function, clotting time, electrocardiogram, chest radiography and echocardiography were normal. Although coil embolisation rather than balloon is safe and effective for treating coronary artery perforation, it may be not the best choice overall. If the perforation breaks through into the right ventricle, we may just monitor closely rather than treat. That course may be beneficial for patients in that it reduces the risk of myocardial cell necrosis. This case provides useful information for the treatment of such patients in the future.