Percutaneous coronary intervention for congenital absence of the right coronary artery with acute myocardial infarction: A case report and literature review

RATIONALE: Congenital absence of the right coronary artery with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a rare clinical situation that may lead to death. We report a case of successful percutaneous coronary intervention for congenital absence of the right coronary artery with AMI. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 53-year-old woman had a 7-day history of chest discomfort that had worsened over 10 hours. She was diagnosed as having myocardial infarction and was admitted to hospital. DIAGNOSIS: Coronary angiography showed absence of the right coronary artery; the left anterior descending (LAD) branch sent out the right ventricular branch and the posterior descending branch. The LAD branch was occluded and there was diffuse stenosis of the middle right ventricular branch and severe stenosis of the distal circumflex branch. INTERVENTIONS: Percutaneous coronary intervention was performed. One stent was implanted in the LAD branch and another implanted in the right ventricular branch. OUTCOMES: The patient was discharged 3 weeks after surgery. The follow-up showed that the patient was asymptomatic without recurrence. LESSONS: Although absence of the right coronary artery with AMI is a fatal condition, percutaneous coronary intervention remains an effective treatment.