Case report: assessment and management of myocardial infarction and non-obstructive coronary arteries (MINOCA): the role of microvascular coronary vasospasm

Women with evidence of myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary arteries (MINOCA) and ischemia with non-obstructive coronary arteries (INOCA), a condition associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes, are becoming increasingly recognized. Underlying mechanisms of MINOCA, such as coronary microvascular spasm, represent a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge to clinicians as there is currently neither a uniform nor comprehensive diagnostic strategy for accurate risk stratification for these patients. Diagnostic tests such as invasive coronary reactivity testing (CRT) can be useful in the diagnosis of MINOCA. We present a challenging case of MINOCA due to microvascular coronary vasospasm. A 55-year-old female with a past medical history of hypertension was referred to our tertiary care center following a non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction. She was diagnosed with MINOCA secondary to coronary microvascular vasospasm by invasive CRT. This case presentation provides an example demonstrating that definitive diagnostic testing such as CRT used for the detection of vasospasm in coronary microvascular disease can be incorporated for routine assessment of MINOCA.