Iatrogenic coronary artery dissection that occurred during postpartum coronary angiography

Abstract

Dissection of the left main coronary artery (LMCA) during diagnostic coronary angiography is a rare but catastrophic event with a poor prognosis. Immediate reperfusion with hemodynamic support should be the primary goal in patients who develop impaired blood flow distal to the acute LMCA and the first option is coronary artery by-pass grafting. We present a 37-year-old female patient in the postpartum period who was admitted to the emergency department because of chest pain and was urgently admitted to our catheterization laboratory with the diagnosis of NONSTMI. During coronary angiography, the patient developed a dissection that started with the left main coronary artery and progressed to the circumflex and left descending artery. The patient was successfully treated with emergency percutaneous intervention.