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Murine Left Anterior Descending LAD Coronary Artery Ligation: An Improved and Simplified Model for Myocardial Infarction
Published on: April 2, 2017
Spontaneous Left Main Coronary Artery Dissection in a Male
Lakshay Chopra1, Joseph Maenza1, Chih-Chiun Chang1
1Internal Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA.
Insights
Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) can affect men, presenting as acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Early diagnosis via coronary angiography is vital for appropriate management, even without typical risk factors.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Vascular Medicine
Background:
- Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is an underrecognized cause of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), typically affecting younger women.
- This case report details a rare instance of SCAD in a 46-year-old male involving the left main coronary artery.
Observation:
- The patient presented with high-risk ACS, necessitating emergency coronary angiography and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of the left main artery.
- Intramural hematoma extension post-PCI confirmed SCAD, despite the patient being male and lacking typical risk factors.
Findings:
- Coronary angiography is the gold standard for SCAD diagnosis, often complemented by optical coherence tomography (OCT) and intravascular ultrasound (IVUS).
- While systemic connective tissue disease was suspected, genetic analysis revealed no reportable variants.
- This case underscores SCAD as a potential cause of ACS in men.
Implications:
- Recognizing SCAD in men is crucial for timely and accurate diagnosis and management, which differs from other ACS etiologies.
- Coronary angiography findings are key to diagnosing SCAD, guiding appropriate treatment strategies.
Abstract:
Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is one of the causes of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) that is increasingly recognized in young to middle-aged women without typical coronary risk factors. This case report describes a 46-year-old male with a rare presentation of SCAD involving the left main (LM) coronary artery. The patient underwent an emergency coronary angiogram for high-risk ACS and had percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of LM due to active ischemia and hemodynamic instability. The extension of intramural hematoma after the LM coronary artery stent confirmed the initial suspicion of SCAD. The diagnosis of SCAD is crucial, as its management differs from other causes of ACS. Coronary angiography is the gold standard for diagnosing SCAD, with adjunctive imaging using optical coherence tomography (OCT) and intravascular ultrasound (IVUS). In this patient, his physical examination findings and further imaging raised a suspicion for systemic connective tissue disease. Genetic analysis was executed, but no reportable variants in any of the 29 genes studied were identified. This case highlights the importance of recognizing SCAD as a potential cause of ACS even in men and emphasizes the findings during coronary angiography that can aid in an accurate diagnosis and appropriate management.
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