Spontaneous coronary artery dissection in puerperium

Abstract

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection in puerperium is uncommon and most often occurs in the third trimester of pregnancy and in the early postpartum period. Two weeks after delivery, a 41-year-old woman presented with typical retrosternal chest pain and inverted T-waves in leads II, V5 and V6, and Q-waves in aVR. Her peak troponin I level was 16.39 µgċL−1. Coronary angiography showed left main spiral dissection extending to the mid left anterior descending artery and involving the first diagonal branch. Urgent coronary artery bypass grafting was performed successfully. The mechanism and approach are discussed.