ISOLATED RIGHT VENTRICULAR MYOCARDIAL-INFARCTION

Infarction of the right ventricle can be detected in as many as 30% to 40% of patients with inferior myocardial infarction. Infarction invol ving only the right ventricle is unusual, and the diagnosis has rarely been made early in presentation. We report two patients with myocardi al infarction isolated to the right ventricle. Both patients had prolo nged chest pain and normal electrocardiograms in the first patient, ur gent cardiac catheterization showed an occluded, nondominant right cor onary artery that was reperfused using emergency angioplasty. In the s econd patient, a subtotally occluded nondominant right coronary artery caused postinfarction angina and was treated successfully with angiop lasty. Patients with prolonged chest pain and nondiagnostic electrocar diograms should be assessed for this rarely reported syndrome.