Spontaneous coronary dissection complicating unstable coronary plaque in young women with acute coronary syndrome: case reports

Abstract

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) causing acute myocardial infarction is a rare event. It occurs mostly in young women without traditional risk factors for coronary artery disease, particularly during the peripartum period. We describe two occurrences of SCAD in young women in whom coronary atherosclerosis was also present. In both cases, angiography showed extended coronary dissection on the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD), starting from an atheromasic stenosis on the middle LAD segment. Coronary dissection could complicate an unstable atheromasic plaque, especially in young women presenting with acute coronary syndrome.