Isolated acute occlusion of a large right ventricular branch of the right coronary artery following coronary balloon angioplasty. The only true 'model' to study ECG changes in acute, isolated right ventricular infarction.

Abstract

An isolated right ventricular infarction occurs rarely and data on its electrocardiographic appearance and underlying angiographically proven cause are scarce. The electrocardiographic response of acute right ventricular ischaemia is often obscured by the coexisting forces of the ischaemic mass of the inferior wall of the left ventricle when the right coronary artery itself becomes occluded. Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty of the right coronary artery may cause an isolated occlusion of a right ventricular branch. We encountered this phenomenon in nine patients. In all, it led to acute isolated right ventricular ischaemia with ST elevations in the right precordial leads (V1-V3, V3R and V4R) on the electrocardiogram. We conclude that the ECG pattern of pure right ventricular ischaemia can be seen when an isolated occlusion of a large right ventricular branch occurs, for example as a complication of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty.