Case Report
Copyright ©2011 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.
World J Cardiol. Apr 26, 2011; 3(4): 117-120
Published online Apr 26, 2011. doi: 10.4330/wjc.v3.i4.117
Percutaneous approach to treatment of coronary disease in a patient with uremic cardiomyopathy
Federico Piscione, Greta Luana D’Ascoli, Maria Prastaro, Plinio Cirillo, Gianluca Petrillo
Gianluca Petrillo, Plinio Cirillo, Maria Prastaro, Greta Luana D’Ascoli, Federico Piscione, Department of Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular and Immunological Sciences, University of Naples “Federico II” via Sergio Pansini, 5, 80131, Naples, Italy
Author contributions: Petrillo G and Cirillo P performed coronary angiography and percutaneous angioplasty; Prastaro M and D’Ascoli GL performed echocardiograms and clinical follow-up; Petrillo G wrote the manuscript; Cirillo P and Piscione F revised the manuscript and gave final approval.
Correspondence to: Plinio Cirillo, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular and Immunological Sciences, University of Naples “Federico II” via Sergio Pansini, 5, 80131, Naples, Italy. pcirillo@unina.it
Telephone: +39-81-7462235 Fax: +39-81-7462235
Received: March 12, 2011
Revised: April 4, 2011
Accepted: April 11, 2011
Published online: April 26, 2011
Abstract

Uremic cardiomyopathy is chronic ischemic left ventricular dysfunction characterized by heart failure, myocardial ischemia, hypotension in dialysis and arrhythmia. This nosologic entity represents a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among patients with end-stage renal disease receiving long-term hemodialysis. It is intuitive that revascularization in the presence of coronary artery disease in these patients represents an effective option for improving their prognosis. Although the surgical option seems to be followed by the best clinical outcome, some patients refuse this option and others are not good candidates for surgery. The present report describes the case of a patient affected by uremic cardiomyopathy and severe coronary artery disease in whom revascularization with percutaneous coronary angioplasty was followed by a significant improvement in quality of life.

Keywords: Coronary artery disease; Heart failure; Percutaneous coronary intervention; Uremic cardiomyopathy