Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection

Treatment

Mayo Clinic doctors trained in heart and blood vessel conditions (cardiologists) and heart and blood vessel surgery (cardiovascular surgeons) treat people who have spontaneous coronary artery dissection. Your treatment team will evaluate you to determine the most appropriate treatment.

Your treatment may include several options.

• Monitoring. Your doctor may monitor your condition with regular follow-up appointments and tests to check for any changes in your condition.
• Medications. Your doctor may prescribe medications to prevent blood clots and reduce the risk of heart attack and other complications.
• Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). In this procedure, also called an angioplasty, doctors insert a thin, flexible tube (catheter) with a balloon on the tip into an artery in your arm, neck or groin and guide it to your coronary artery using X-ray imaging. Your doctor inflates the balloon in the dissected artery and inserts a mesh tube (stent) through the catheter into the opening, to help restore blood flow and prevent expansion of the artery.
• Coronary artery bypass graft surgery. In coronary artery bypass graft surgery, your surgeon creates a detour around a dissected artery using arteries or veins from other parts of your body (grafts).
• Follow-up. In follow-up appointments, doctors may discuss pregnancy planning with women. Your doctor may recommend genetic testing. You also may benefit from cardiac rehabilitation.