Postpartum myocardial infarction treated by balloon coronary angioplasty

Acute myocardial infarction in pregnancy is a rare event that carries substantial morbidity and mortality. New technologies have been developed in cardiology to open obstructed vessels during the acute evolution of coronary thrombosis. We present a case of acute postpartum myocardial infarction in a woman with class F/R diabetes. She underwent successful balloon angioplasty but developed chest pain suspicious of angina pectoris 6 weeks after the procedure. A thallium scan demonstrated fixed defects in the inferoposterior and posterolateral segments and minimal apical redistribution. This represents the second case of angioplasty performed in pregnancy and the first for an acute myocardial infarction.