Not Your Common Athletic Heart Problem: Using Coronary CTA to Visualize Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection

Abstract

A 19-year-old healthy male collegiate athlete presented with typical anginal symptoms after running a 5K race. He had complained of similar symptoms off and on for the past month. On presentation, troponin was 0.12 ng/ml (reference value < 0.01 ng/ml), which peaked at 17.7 ng/ml and CK-MB was 28.71 IU/L (reference value < 25 IU/L). ECG showed diffuse biphasic T-waves. Coronary computed tomography angiogram (cCTA) demonstrated a 1.5 cm dissection in the left anterior descending artery and a 1.9×1.8 cm attenuation defect in the left ventricular apex consistent with thrombus. Subsequent coronary catheterization confirmed dissection of the left anterior descending artery. Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is a rare phenomenon. Diagnosis can be made through noninvasive measures but is usually done through left heart catheterization. In young patients who present with an NSTEMI, clinical suspicion for SCAD among other conditions should be raised. Additionally, recognizing that complications such as intracardiac thrombi can occur in SCAD is critical in ensuring appropriate therapy.