Aortic Regurgitation as a Risk Factor for Coronary Embolization from Complex Atheromatous Aortic Plaques: A Clinical Case

Patients with mobile aortic arch atheroma and severe aortic regurgitation may be at higher risk of systemic embolism. We report the case of a 68-year-old male patient with complex aortic arch plaque with superimposed thrombus, in which an acute inferior ST-elevation myocardial infarction occurred. In the reported case, coronary embolism may have been caused by flaked aortic plaque and/or superimposed thrombus, which was possibly carried by aortic regurgitation flow. It is a very rare mechanism by which a coronary embolism is possible from an aortic complex plaque.