Case reports of coronary fibromuscular dysplasia and spontaneous coronary artery dissections

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is an important cause of acute coronary syndrome especially in women. The most common underlying predisposing cause of SCAD is fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD), a non‐inflammatory arteriopathy that results in weakening of the affected arteries, and can cause dissection or aneurysm. Coronary FMD (CFMD) was described as rare, and was shown to cause SCAD in histopathological case reports. Unfortunately, CFMD is challenging to diagnose on coronary angiography, as the findings can be similar to other causes of coronary artery disease. Therefore, we illustrate two case examples of CFMD on coronary angiography, and highlight findings on optical coherence tomography to aid diagnosis.     

Coronary angiogram classification of spontaneous coronary artery dissection

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is under‐diagnosed and the true prevalence is underestimated. Unfortunately, SCAD is frequently missed on coronary angiogram since the arterial wall is not imaged with this test. Optical coherence tomography or intravascular ultrasound should be the true gold‐standard to diagnose SCAD. Given the elusive angiographic diagnosis of SCAD and the lack of familiarity with angiographic variants of SCAD, a diagnostic algorithm and angiographic classification for SCAD is proposed in this article. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Five factors and three characteristics of coronary in-stent restenosis

In the field of interventional cardiology, several patient subsets still present with poor clinical and angiographic outcomes after drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation. The author of this editorial comment supports the idea that in-stent restenosis (ISR) includes three characteristics (severity and extent of stenosis, and tissue characteristics) that are caused by five factors (device, patient, anatomy, procedure, and history). To reduce further revascularization, a tailor-made strategy may be considered in accordance with the factors and characteristics of the individual ISR lesion.     

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection with multiple coronary artery aneurysms in a patient with diabetic ketoacidosis

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is a very rare and commonly fatal condition that typically presents with signs and symptoms of an acute myocardial infarction and cardiogenic shock. We herein present a case of a 54-year-old woman who was diagnosed with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) as the first manifestation of her underlying diabetes mellitus, while being hospitalized for treatment, she was found to have a non ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), an urgent cardiac catheterization revealed a complete dissection of the right coronary artery (RCA) with an intraluminal thrombus formation and multiple aneurismal dilatations in the left anterior descending (LAD) and left circumflex (LC) arteries. The patient underwent coronary artery bypass grafting with a favorable outcome.     

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection with pseudoaneurysm formation diagnosed by intravascular ultrasound: a case report

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection is a rare cause of myocardial ischemia. Coronary artery pseudoaneurysm may occur after percutaneous coronary interventions and rarely spontaneously. We present a patient who had spontaneous coronary artery dissection with formation of a pseudoaneurysm diagnosed by intravascular ultrasound.     

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection, aneurysms, and pseudoaneurysms: a review

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection is a rare cause of myocardial ischemia and sudden death. Coronary aneurysms and pseudoaneurysms, which may occur after percutaneous coronary interventions, rarely occur spontaneously. We review the pertinent medical literature and describe the intravascular findings of spontaneous coronary artery dissection, aneurysms, and pseudoaneurysms.     

Balloon assisted hematoma fenestration in spontaneous coronary artery dissection. Case presentation and literature review

The management of spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is lacking randomized data. This also holds for SCAD with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction where stenting has been used to restore coronary flow. This approach can be associated with many drawbacks. Therefore, we present an alternative approach to stenting when coronary flow cannot be restored using cutting balloons alone.     

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection: A Western Denmark Heart Registry Study

Background : Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is a rare cause of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) that associates with a high acute‐phase mortality rate, whereas long‐term outcome is less well described. Objective : To describe the incidence, predictors, and prognosis of SCAD. Design : Retrospective case‐identification study from the Western Denmark Heart Registry and the database of the Forensic Institute at Aarhus University from 1999 through 2007. Results : SCAD was documented in 22 of 32,869 (0.7‰) angiograms in the angiographic registry. The SCAD incidence among cases of ACS was 22 of 11,175 (2.0‰). None was seen in the forensic database. The mean age was 48.7 ± 8.9 years (range: 37–71 years). Females constituted 17 of 22 (77%) patients and all had undergone one or more pregnancies; two cases occurred in the postpartum period. The left descending artery (LAD) was the predominant site of entry. The age distribution, prevalence of the cardiovascular risk factors, presence of coronary atherosclerosis, and entry of the dissection were comparable among genders. Treatment was percutaneous coronary intervention in 13 of 22 (59%), coronary artery bypass operation in 2 of 22 (9%), and medical treatment in 7 of 22 (32%) patients. The mean follow‐up period was 3.6 ± 2.9 years. One patient suffered from recurrent SCAD; another patient died suddenly. The MACE‐ (cardiac death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and new revascularization) free survival was 81% after 24 months. Conclusion : SCAD is a rare disease that mainly affects younger women. Compared with earlier reports, the prognosis seems to be improved by early diagnosis and interventional treatment. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Invasive versus conservative management in spontaneous coronary artery dissection: A meta-analysis and meta-regression study

BackgroundData regarding the best treatment for spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) are limited. The aim of the present study was to compare the clinical outcomes of conservative versus invasive treatment in SCAD patients.MethodsWe systematically searched the literature for studies evaluating the comparative efficacy and safety of invasive revascularization versus medical therapy for the treatment of SCAD from 1990 to 2020. The study endpoints were all-cause death, cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, heart failure, SCAD recurrence and target vessel revascularization (TVR) rates. Random effect meta-analysis was performed by comparing the clinical outcomes between the two groups. A univariate meta-regression analysis was also performed.ResultsTwenty-four observational studies with 1720 patients were included. After 28 ± 14 months, a conservative approach was associated with lower TVR rate compared with invasive treatment (OR = 0.50; 95%CI 0.28–0.90; P = 0.02). No statistical difference was found regarding all-cause death (OR = 0.81; 95%CI 0.31–2.08; P = 0.66), cardiovascular death (OR = 0.89; 95%CI 0.15–5.40; P = 0.89), myocardial infarction (OR = 0.95; 95%CI 0.50–1.81; P = 0.87), heart failure (OR 0.96; 95%CI 0.41–2.22; P = 0.92) and SCAD recurrence (OR = 0.94; 95%CI 0.52–1.72; P = 0.85). The meta-regression analysis suggested that male gender, diabetes mellitus, smoking habit, prior coronary artery disease, left main coronary artery involvement, lower ejection fraction and low TIMI flow at admission were related with high overall mortality, whereas SCAD recurrence was higher among patients with fibromuscular dysplasia.ConclusionsA conservative approach was associated with similar clinical outcomes and lower TVR rates compared with an invasive strategy in SCAD patients; future prospective studies are needed to confirm these results.     

Recurrent spontaneous coronary artery dissection: First case report in men with three episodes of spontaneous coronary dissection in separate vascular territories

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is a rare cause of acute coronary syndrome. In the literature, more than 1,200 cases of SCAD have been reported, with a low rate of recurrent spontaneous coronary artery dissection (r‐SCAD) described in only 63 cases. Among these patients with r‐SCAD, just three cases had three separate episodes of dissection and all were in women. We report the first case of r‐SCAD in men, with three episodes of dissection in different coronary arteries and review the published literature on predisposing factors for r‐SCAD and its management. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Assessment of spontaneous coronary artery dissection by intravascular ultrasound in a patient with unstable angina

We describe a case of spontaneous coronary artery dissection that gave rise to post infarction unstable angina. An ambiguous angiographic appearance was shown by intracoronary ultrasound to arise from an extensive coronary dissection. The dissection membrane separating true and false lumina and features to suggest sluggish flow and early thrombosis in the false lumen were observed. No increase in lumen calibre was evident on ultrasound after PTCA (probably a consequence of the relatively large ultrasound catheter blank), but coronary flow reserve measured with intracoronary Doppler did improve and the patient remained stable and free of angina following the procedure.     

冠状动脉自发性夹层的临床特点与治疗策略

目的回顾分析冠状动脉自发性夹层（SCAD）患者的临床资料,探讨治疗策略。方法回顾分析2010年7月至2013年3月单中心冠状动脉造影患者4517例,检出SCAD13例,借用冠状动脉夹层分型系统对病变进行分类,分析不同类型SCAD的发生率、影像特点及随访临床事件。结果13例SCAD患者中,2例（2／13,15．4％）发生2处夹层,共存在15处夹层。12例（92．3％）发生临床事件,包括心肌梗死10例（76．9％）与心绞痛2例（15．4％）。发生于右冠状动脉夹层9处（9／15,60％）,前降支6处（6／15,40％）,左回旋支未见夹层。A型病变1处（6．7％）,B型2处（13．3％）,D型8处（53．3％）,E型2处（13．3％）,F型1处（6．7％）,壁间血肿1处（6．7％）。4例5处保守治疗,9例10处病变给予经皮冠状动脉介入治疗（PCI）,9处病变PCI治疗成功,1处未成功改为冠状动脉旁路移植术。1例D型夹层患者药物治疗6个月后复查冠状动脉造影,夹层无明显变化,无心绞痛发作;l例D型夹层患者药物治疗3个月,仍有心绞痛,给予PCI治疗;1例A型夹层患者PCI后12个月复查冠状动脉造影未见夹层复发,无再狭窄。其余患者电话随访6～12个月无临床事件。结论SCAD可以按照NHLB1分型。A、B、E型及壁间血肿采取PCI治疗相对容易。D型夹层占比例最高。D、F型治疗难度最大。关键在于早期确诊。可以根据病变的类型、长度,选择性地采取PCI治疗,保守治疗是否可以自愈仍需长期随访。     

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD): The underdiagnosed cardiac condition that plagues women

Coronary heart disease (CHD) continues to be understudied, underdiagnosed, and undertreated in women. Gender and age bias complicate the evaluation of women with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). As a result, conditions like spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) are often missed. SCAD is an infrequent yet important cause of myocardial infarction (MI) with a predilection for young to middle aged women. The condition is thought to be under-reported, likely a result of both low index of suspicion as well as an unfamiliarity with SCAD’s angiographic variants. Recently, the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) detailed an assessment pathway for patients with myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary arteries (MINOCA), a subset of which includes patients with SCAD. The pathway highlights the role of cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) in addition to intracoronary imaging for increased diagnostic yield. Early and proper diagnosis is crucial in SCAD given the potential for sudden cardiac death, as well as the increased risk for future cardiac events including recurrent dissection. In addition, SCAD has frequently been associated with underlying connective tissue disease and/or arteriopathy, most commonly fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD), which requires careful screening. The lack of consensus on investigation or treatment highlights the need for increased awareness and further research to better understand this challenging entity.