Postpartum spontaneous coronary, vertebral, and mesenteric artery dissections: a case report

BACKGROUND: Spontaneous coronary artery dissection is a rare cause of myocardial infarction that must always be considered on a clinician’s differential diagnosis, particularly in patients <50-years old with a paucity of typical vascular risk factors. CASE PRESENTATION: We describe a case of a 33-year-old white woman, 3 weeks postpartum, presenting with retrosternal chest and back pain, neck pain and stiffness, and intermittent headaches. Subsequent workup revealed concurrent spontaneous dissections in three separate medium-sized arterial beds. CONCLUSIONS: She was successfully managed in a conservative fashion, highlighting that percutaneous or surgical revascularization can often be foregone in favor of conservative medical therapy.