Study for the PANCE Cardiology Test. Enhance your knowledge with comprehensive flashcards and multiple-choice questions. Each question comes with hints and detailed explanations. Prepare thoroughly for your exam!

Multiple Choice

Occlusion of which artery most commonly causes a lateral wall myocardial infarction?

Lateral-wall myocardial infarctions occur when the artery that supplies the lateral left ventricle becomes occluded. The left circumflex artery provides the lateral wall via obtuse marginal branches, so its blockage most commonly causes a lateral MI. In a typical heart, the right coronary artery feeds the inferior wall and the left anterior descending artery supplies the anterior/septal region; occlusions there produce inferior or anterior MIs rather than lateral. ECG changes reflect this, with ST elevations in the lateral leads (I, aVL, V5–V6).

Lateral-wall myocardial infarctions occur when the artery that supplies the lateral left ventricle becomes occluded. The left circumflex artery provides the lateral wall via obtuse marginal branches, so its blockage most commonly causes a lateral MI. In a typical heart, the right coronary artery feeds the inferior wall and the left anterior descending artery supplies the anterior/septal region; occlusions there produce inferior or anterior MIs rather than lateral. ECG changes reflect this, with ST elevations in the lateral leads (I, aVL, V5–V6).