Spontaneous dissection of the LAD mimicking inferior myocardial infarction

The case presented here is intended to raise awareness of two uncommon coronary angiographic findings in the clinical context of acute coronary syndrome. The prevalence of patients presenting with spontaneous coronary dissection as the underlying cause of an ST-elevation myocardial infarction is low. It is typically found in women, often occurring during the peripartum period. There is some debate as to whether spontaneous dissection could also be managed conservatively without coronary intervention. As for spontaneous dissection, knowledge of a culprit lesion within the distal left anterior descending artery (LAD) causing inferior ST elevation (wrap around of the LAD) is not prevalent. Patient characteristics and treatment options are discussed on the basis of the recent literature on both clinical entities.