Necropsy Studies in Myocardial Infarction with Minimal or No Coronary Luminal Reduction Due to Atherosclerosis

A postmortem study was conducted on the hearts of 10 patients who died with a typical clinical picture of acute myocardial infarction within 25 days of onset of symptoms. The coronary arterial systems of the patients revealed minimal or no luminal reduction due to coronary atherosclerosis or other cause. These cases contribute to the understanding of the pathogenesis of acute myocardial infarction in that they document the presence of typical acute myocardial infarction in the absence of chronic or acute coronary arterial obstruction. They further suggest that the hearts of those dying of typical myocardial infarction show minimal or no coronary disease in approximately 7% when studied as described.