Coronary arteritis diagnosed at autopsy - Three case reports and review ofthe literature

Coronary arteritis is rare but can be fatal either by itself or in conjunct ion with other diseases. The authors report cases of three men in whom coro nary arteritis was an interesting finding that may have caused or contribut ed to death. One 45-year-old man collapsed at work, another 56-year-old man was found dead in his parked car, and one 80-year-old man had a recent cer ebrovascular accident. All three men had coronary arteritis, arteriosclerot ic cardiovascular disease, some form of myocardial disease, and fatty liver change. Two had different lung diseases. The findings suggest that coronar y arteritis may be an independent cause of death, part of a systemic diseas e, or, as these three cases illustrate, part of a constellation of cardiac and cardiovascular pathologies with a possible relation to other medical co nditions. Coronary arteritis is an important finding in forensic pathology and merits consideration in a case of unexplained death.