ABSTRACT
Left precordial chest pain (LPCP) evokes above all angina. Eliminating a cardiac origin is then always the first priority. When cardiac causes are eliminated, non-cardiac causes are sought in order to avoid leaving patients with undiagnosed or undifferentiated chest pain. There is a myriad of non-cardiac causes ranging from heartburn, panic attacks, pleurisy, pulmonary embolism, pneumothorax, Tietze syndrome, bruises and fractures of the ribs, to spine meningioma, neuroma, herniated disk and impairment of the nerve roots. Although clinical presentation and characteristics of the pain are usually helpful in diagnosing the cause, conducting magnetic resonance imaging of the spine may be of a high utility in some situations. Here we report a case of chronic angina-like LPCP, caused by a thoracic meningioma.
ABSTRACT
Internal carotid artery (ICA) dissection with tandem internal carotid and middle cerebral artery occlusion may carry a poor prognosis even if intravenous recombinant-tissular plasminogen activator is administered. A better outcome may be expected with the combination of intravenous thrombolysis and endovascular methods (stenting and thromboaspiration). This procedure was performed in 3 patients who had concurrent ICA dissection and intracerebral occlusion. Endovascular treatment was feasible and safe. All our patients had a good clinical outcome. This potential effective approach may need further validation.
