Myocardial infarction following an acute viral illness.

A 24-year-old man was admitted to our coronary care unit with a transmural lateral wall myocardial infarction 48 hours after the onset of a viral illness. Coronary angiography two months following the patient's discharge from the hospital disclosed normal left ventricular wall motion and coronary anatomy. The pathophysiologic mechanisms of myocardial infarction in the setting of normal coronary arteries are reviewed. The possibility of a viral-induced myopericarditis is raised.