[Spontaneous coronary dissection as a cause of acute myocardial infarct: description of a case and review of the literature].

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection is a rare cause of acute myocardial ischemia or death that is generally not detected until an autopsy is performed. It occurs in relatively young people and particularly in females. To date, its prognosis and treatment are not well defined. We describe our experience with one patient with acute myocardial infarction due to spontaneous dissection of the right coronary artery, which was treated successfully through direct coronary angioplasty. A 48-year-old man, heavy smoker, was admitted to our CCU for an acute inferior myocardial infarction with right ventricle involvement, which was complicated by the onset of cardiogenic shock (severe arterial hypotension, cold, pale and clammy skin, decrease in mental alertness, marked bradycardia due to a complete atrioventricular block). Since systemic thrombolysis was contraindicated (syncope followed by cranial trauma at the onset of symptoms), the patient underwent urgent coronary angiography that showed a proximal right coronary subocclusion with a filling defect and oblique linear density indicating possible dissection. Primary angioplasty was successfully attempted and a good distal flow was achieved (TIMI 3), but coronary artery dissection became more evident, with a double lumen extending over the distal segment just to the crux. Coronary stenting was not performed because optimum anticoagulant therapy was contra-indicated due to cranial trauma. Standard medical therapy was started after the procedure and coronary angiography, which was repeated before the patient was released from hospital, showed complete healing of the right coronary artery without any signs of dissection. The patient remained asymptomatic at a six-month follow-up check, with a negative exercise test. In our opinion, coronary angioplasty is a suitable therapeutic option in the treatment of spontaneous coronary dissection. More extensive experience is needed in order to standardize the most suitable therapeutic procedure in this rare cause of myocardial ischemia.