Spontaneous coronary artery dissection in a young woman precipitated by retching

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection as a cause of acute myocardial ischemia is a rare entity that has been associated with several different clinical profiles and precipitating events. The recognition of this entity as the cause of acute ischemia is important because the therapeutic considerations may be different than that for ischemia due to a ruptured atherosclerotic plaque. We report a case of spontaneous coronary artery dissection in a 31-year-old female that was induced by prolonged, forceful retching. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of such an association. Prolonged retching should be added to the list of causes of spontaneous coronary artery dissection.