Myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary artery disease, a retrospective cohort study: Are plaque disruption and other pathophysiological mechanisms the same disease?

Abstract

Backgound/Aim: Myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary arteries (MINOCA) is an increasingly recognized entity. Recent studies have shown that MINOCA is not a benign syndrome, with younger MINOCA patients having outcomes comparable to their myocardial infarction with obstructive coronary artery disease (MI-CAD) counterparts. In this study, we will describe the demographic, clinical and angiographic characteristics of MINOCA patients in our hospital. Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, all patients who underwent coronary angiography with the diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome during September 2016-April 2019 were screened and those with MINOCA were detected. We described the demographic, clinical, and angiographic characteristics of MINOCA patients and compared the etiologic and pathophysiological mechanisms. Results: A total of 3855 patients with acute coronary syndrome were screened and 155 were diagnosed with MINOCA, with a total prevalence of 4.02%. Among them, 48.4% were female and the overall mean age was 55.04 (13.57) years. Plaque disruption was the most common cause of MINOCA (48.4%), which was followed by microvascular dysfunction and slow flow (9.7%). We compared plaque disruption and other causes to find that age (58.31 (13.76) vs 51.89 (12.68) P=0.003), hypertension (37 (48.7%) vs 25 (31.6%) P=0.034), prior coronary artery disease history (16 (21.1%) vs 2 (2.5%) P=0.001) and creatinine clearance (67.35 (IQR: 25.8) vs 74.0 (IQR: 28.58) P=0.009) were higher in patients with plaque disruption than those without. Conclusion: MINOCA is a diagnosis of exclusion with numerous potential causes. The etiological and pathophysiological mechanisms of plaque disruption are different from other causes of MINOCA and the correct treatment approach determines the prognosis.

Keywords

• microvascular dysfunction
• MINOCA
• plaque disruption
• SCAD
• vasospasm

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