Long-term successful coronary artery angioplasty in polycythemia vera

In a 65-year-old man with Polycythemia Vera, invalidating angina pectoris was associated with severe narrowing of the right coronary artery. After percutaneous coronary angioplasty (PTCA) the patient became symptom free and remained so for 12 months, while receiving an antiplatelet agent, a calcium antagonist and nitrate. Coronary angiography repeated after a year, because of reappearance of angina, documented good patency of the treated artery and some progression of a narrowing involving another coronary vessel. This is the first reported case of long-term success of PTCA in Polycythemia Vera, a disease exposed to a high risk of thrombosis and, possibly, of restenosis. It is undefined whether medical treatment contributed to the anatomical and clinical results. As far as a single case can say, Polycythemia Vera might not represent a prohibitive background for coronary PTCA.