Coronary angiography of pregnancy-associated coronary artery dissection: a high-risk procedure

Abstract 

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is a rare cause of acute coronary syndrome occurring predominantly in young women without any cardiovascular risk factors, especially during the peripartum and early postpartum period. Here, we report a case of a 28-year-old pregnant woman who was found to have an isolated distal SCAD of the left anterior descending artery (LAD). Coronary angiography was complicated by extensive LAD and circumflex arteries dissection, requiring an emergency coronary artery bypass grafting associated with ventricular assist device implantation and underlying the extreme fragility of coronary arteries in pregnant women.

Keywords: Spontaneous coronary artery dissection, Coronary artery bypass grafting, Ventricular assist device, Pregnancy