Coronary artery stenting for spontaneous coronary artery dissection: a case report and review of the literature.

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection is an uncommon cause of acute coronary syndromes. It occurs in three major groups: in young women in the peripartum period, in patients with atherosclerotic disease, and in an idiopathic group. There are a number of associated conditions, but the pathogenesis remains unclear. Diagnosis can only be made at angiography. Treatments include medical therapy, coronary artery bypass grafts, and newer interventional procedures. We report on a case of spontaneous coronary artery dissection involving the left circumflex artery in a young adult male presenting with a myocardial infarction after exercise. There were no risk factors for coronary artery disease and no evidence of atherosclerosis on angiography. The dissection was treated with primary coronary artery stenting without predilation, achieving an excellent result. To our knowledge, this is the third known case of successful coronary artery stenting for this condition and the first case of primary stenting without prior angioplasty.