Normal to normal: A method of treatment of coronary aneurysms with deployment of bare-metal stents

Coronary artery aneurysm (CAA) is defined as a coronary dilatation that exceeds the diameter of normal adjacent segments or the diameter of the patient's largest coronary vessel by 1.5 times. The presence of a CAA is not always without complications. Thrombosis with myocardial infarction, formation of arteriovenous fistulae, vasospasm, and even rupture, may occur especially with very large aneurysms. These complications dictate the need for medical, surgical or percutaneous therapy. The latter consists mainly of the use of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)-covered stents. Compared to PTFE-covered stents, bare-metal stents (BMS) have better flexibility, making implantation in tortuous vessels easier, and permitting access to sidebranches when a bifurcation lesion is involved. Their use in treatment of CAA has rarely been reported. We present three cases with CAA that have been treated with BMS with excellent post-procedure angiographic results and complete exclusion of the aneurysm at mid-term angiographic follow-up.