Odynophagia in a woman with known coronary artery disease : and ischemia on electrocardiogram

Esophageal intramural hematoma can mimic other causes of chest pain. When the patient is known to have coronary artery disease, the diagnosis may be difficult. Moreover, the course may be complicated and may harm the patient if antiplatelet drugs, thrombolytics, and anticoagulants are used. The presence of odynophagia should alert the clinician to the possibility of an esophageal origin, even in a patient with known coronary artery disease. We present a case in which early recognition of the clinical presentation prevented potential iatrogenic complications.