Spontaneous coronary artery dissection occurs with and without periadventitial inflammation
Dowling, G.P.; Buja, L.M.
Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine 111(5): 470-472
1987
ISSN/ISBN: 0003-9985 PMID: 3566476 Document Number: 293139
Dissection of a coronary artery not associated with aortic dissection or trauma is a rare condition that occurs most frequently in peripartum or postpartum women. It has been suggested that localized periadventitial inflammation, often found adjacent to these lesions, may represent a primary vasculitis which causes dissection. Two cases of spontaneous coronary artery dissection are described, together with a brief review of previously published cases. Based on this review, we conclude that periadventitial inflammation is reactive, rather than primary, in nature.