Spontaneous coronary artery dissection: A single-center case series and literature review

Abstract

Background: Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is an unusual cause of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Better recognition and diagnosis has raised awareness of this condition. However, the pathophysiology of SCAD and its prognosis are still little understood. We aimed to investigate the characteristics and prognosis of patients with SCAD, and subsequently performed a review of literature.

Methods: Single-center, retrospective study performed in patients hospitalized from January 2010 to December 2016 with suspected ACS (n=5002) whose final diagnosis was SCAD (n=27; 0.5%).

Results: Patients with SCAD were mainly female (81.5%; n=22), with median age of 56. Predisposing factors were identified in 12 (44%) patients and precipitating factors in three (11.1%). Non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) was the main form of presentation (51.9%). The left anterior descending artery (LAD) territory was the most commonly involved (n=12, 44.4%). Type 2 dissection was the most prevalent angiographic pattern (n=17, 63%). The majority of patients (n=15; 55.6%) were managed medically and the remaining patients underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug-eluting stents. Seven patients re-infarcted while in the hospital. Over the median follow-up period of 20 months, 7.4% of patients (n=2) had symptoms of heart failure (HF) and 14.8% developed ACS (in three patients the event occurred in a coronary territory other than that of the index case, and in one patient it occurred in the previously affected territory). There were no deaths.

Conclusion: In the studied population, SCAD was more prevalent in middle-aged women. Despite the high prevalence of in-hospital re-infarction or during follow-up, the prognosis was good overall.

Keywords: Acute coronary syndrome; Angiografia coronária; Coronary angiography; Dissecção coronária espontânea; Hematoma intramural; Intramural hematoma; Spontaneous coronary dissection; Síndrome coronária aguda.