Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection

Abstract

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is non-iatrogenic, non-traumatic and nonatherosclerotic separation of the coronary artery wall caused by intramural hematoma development with or without simultaneous co-existence of coronary wall tear. The net effect is compression of the true coronary artery lumen with development of ischemia. SCAD typically occurs in relatively young population, dominantly females (around 90%), often in peripartum, in which there are absent or very rare classical risk-factors for coronary artery disease (CAD). The most frequent clinical manifestation of SCAD is acute coronary syndrome (ACS – STEMI or NSTEMI), rarely cardiogenic shock or life-threatening arrhythmias (VT or VF), and sometimes sudden cardiac death. Diagnosis (which sometimes can be challenging) is dominantly established by coronary angiography, and sometimes modalities of intravascular visualization may be useful (IVUS, OCT). The most of the patients with SCAD are treated conservatively and small proportion of them requires revascularization (PCI or CABG). In addition, we present several cases with SCAD. Conclusion: Timely and accurate diagnosis and treatment is extremely important in SCAD, which is a potentially life-threatening condition.