Spontaneous left main coronary artery dissection. A rare cause of acute coronary syndrome

Abstract

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection is a rare cause of acute coronary syndrome and sudden cardiac death. Involvement of the left main coronary artery is uncommon accounting for 9% of all cases. The condition commonly affects premenopausal females with about one third of the cases occurring during pregnancy and the peripartum period. The diagnosis may occasionally be overlooked as the patients are often young and have no risk factors for coronary artery disease. The clinical presentation and interesting angiographic findings of a 42-year-old female patient with left main coronary artery dissection are described along with a brief discussion of the pathogenesis and management of the condition.