Single coronary artery with anomalous origin of the right coronary artery as a branch from the left anterior descending artery: a very rare coronary anomaly

Anomalous origin of the right coronary artery arising from the left anterior descending artery (LAD) is a very rare coronary anomaly. It has previously been reported in only six adult cases. In this report, we present a patient with an anomalous origin of the right coronary artery from the LAD. The patient had anginal symptoms with exercise. Myocardial perfusion imaging with thallium-201 revealed a reversible inferior perfusion defect. We suggest that this could cause myocardial ischemia. Received: November 5, 2001 / Accepted: December 7, 2001