Emergent primary PCI of anomalous LAD

Approximately 0.3% to 2% of patients may have anomalous origins of the coronary arteries. Anomalous origin of the left coronary artery (LCA) or left anterior descending (LAD) artery from the right sinus has been well described. In persons in whom the course involves an interarterial track between the aorta (Ao) and pulmonary artery (PA), an increased incidence of sudden death has been reported, particularly during or shortly after exercise. This has been felt to be due to transient occlusion of the anomalous LAD from increased blood flow through the Ao and PA as the anomalous LAD courses between them, possibly causing myocardial ischemia. In an elective setting, further anatomic delineation with other methodologies such as cardiac magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is recommended. In this case report we present an emergent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of an anomalous LAD arising from the right sinus of Valsalva and coursing between the Ao and PA in a nonsurgical candidate.     

冠状动脉起源异常的冠状动脉造影分析

目的探讨冠状动脉起源异常(anomalous origin of coronary artery,AOCA)的冠状动脉造影特征及其临床意义。方法2000年10月~2006年12月在我院行冠状动脉造影的患者1560例,检出有AOCA患者29例,并对其临床资料进行回顾性分析。结果29例AOCA患者检出率为1.9%,其中23例(79.3%)为良性AOCA,包括:前降支和回旋支分别开口于左冠窦15例,回旋支起源于右冠窦3例,右冠状动脉起源于无冠窦1例和高位开口于升主动脉4例;6例(20.7%)为有潜在临床危险AOCA,分别为左主干起源于右冠窦1例,单支左冠状动脉2例,右冠状动脉起源于左冠窦3例。起源异常冠状动脉有明显狭窄患者9例(31.0%),但仅2例为狭窄只累及起源异常动脉。结论AOCA无特征性临床表现,通常在冠状动脉造影时被发现;某些类型有导致严重心脏事件的潜在危险。AOCA与冠状动脉狭窄无相关性。     

Origin of both coronary arteries from the same sinus of valsalva: Report of two cases

Origin of both coronary arteries from the same sinus of Valsalva was found in two patients. In one patient the right coronary artery opened from the left sinus of Valsalva, coursed between the pulmonary artery and aorta, disclosed a 95% obstruction in its proximal third with good runoff. The portion of the artery between the aorta and pulmonary artery showed cyclic narrowing during systole. In the second patient the left coronary opened from the right sinus of Valsalva, the left main trunk crossed anteriorily the pulmonary artery conus, and both the circumflex and the left anterior descending branches showed significant narrowing. In both patients the arteries shared a common sinus with two separate orifices, both had a bicuspid aortic valve, and in both, nonaberrant coronary vessels also had stigmata of atherosclerosis.     

Anomalous origin of the left anterior descending coronary artery from the pulmonary artery: surgical correction in an adult

A 45-year-old female with severe anginal symptoms was found to have anomalous origin of the anterior descending branch of the left coronary artery (LCA) from the pulmonary artery. Proximal ligation and anastomosis with aortocoronary saphenous vein graft (SVG) were performed. There was complete relief of symptoms. Two-year postoperative angiography revealed a patent SVG with excellent flow, normalization of the caliber of the right and left circumflex coronary arteries with complete regression of collaterals, and improved left ventricular function.     

Origin of all major coronary arteries from left sinus of Valsalva as a common coronary trunk: single coronary artery--a case report

Coronary anomalies are divergent and can occur in up to 1% to 2% of patients. The most common of these anomalies is separate ostia of the left anterior descending and left circumflex arteries, followed by origin of the circumflex coronary artery from the right coronary artery and the left coronary artery from the right sinus of Valsalva, either as a separate ostium or as a part of single coronary artery. Anomalous origin of right coronary artery from the left sinus of Valsalva with a separate ostium or from the left main coronary artery is very rare. These coronary anomalies may be incidentally diagnosed on routine angiography or may present with myocardial ischemia, infarction, or sudden death. A case is described in which all 3 coronary arteries were originating from the left sinus of Valsalva as a common trunk (single coronary artery), which trifurcated to left anterior descending, left circumflex, and right coronary artery.     

Coronary anomalies: Incidence and importance

Most patients with coronary anomalies are asymptomatic. The knowledge of those variations could be important in regard to invasive catheter treatment or bypass surgery. In a retrospective study, the angiographic findings based on 4, 016 patients (1985-1989) were analyzed concerning coronary anomalies and malformations. Of the patients studied, 39 (0.97%) had coronary anomalies, and in 26 of these patients it was an anomalous circumflex branch. In 14 cases, the circumflex branch arose from a separate origin in the left aortic sinus. In 11 patients the origin was from the proximal segment of the right coronary artery. A singular coronary artery was found in five patients, originating from the right aortic sinus in two patients and from the left aortic sinus in three patients. An origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery, a coronary fistula, or an origin of the left anterior descending coronary artery from the RCA could be found in only one patient. Unexpected findings during invasive procedures would suggest a possibly existing coronary anomaly, especially when main branches cannot be opacified by selective contrast medium injection.     

Successful intraoperative identification of an anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery using real time three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography

Anomalous origin of the left coronary artery (LCA) from the pulmonary artery (ALCAPA) is a rare congenital defect that presents only infrequently in adults. An adult diagnosed with ALCAPA, heart failure, and mitral regurgitation underwent surgical ligation of the anomalous origin of the LCA from the pulmonary artery (PA) and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). The anomalous origin in the PA and proximal segment of the left anterior descending artery (LAD) was successfully delineated via real time, three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography during surgery. This modality allows for fast assessment and novel views of complex cardiac abnormalities and can aid in perioperative monitoring.     

Sudden cardiac death associated with an extremely rare coronary anomaly of the left and right coronary arteries arising exclusively from the posterior (noncoronary) sinus of valsalva

Congenital anomalies of the coronary arteries are relatively uncommon conditions and have been associated with sudden cardiac death (SCD) in children. Although anomalous coronary artery distribution is widely reported in the literature, no articles to date address the origin of both the right (RCA) and left coronary arteries (LCA) from the posterior (noncoronary) sinus of Valsalva. This is a report of a 16-year-old black male in good health, who collapsed and was unable to be resuscitated after physical exertion while playing basketball. In this patient, postmortem evaluation revealed the LCA and RCA originating exclusively from the posterior (noncoronary) sinus with acute angle takeoff of the LCA which likely lead to ischemia, causing SCD. We discuss the incidence of coronary artery anomalies and the proposed mechanisms that led to SCD in these patients.     

Anomalous origin of coronary artery from the opposite aortic sinus of Valsalva-a single center experience with a therapeutic conundrum

Background: Coronary artery anomalies are rare congenital abnormalities, most often found incidentally on conventional coronary angiography and CT angiography (CTA). CTA better delineates the origin and course of anomalous coronaries. Anomalous origin of coronary artery from the opposite aortic sinus of Valsalva (ACAOS) has a prevalence of 1% with a very few having an interarterial (malignant) course. There is limited literature, especially in the Indian population, dealing with this topic.Methods: In this retrospective observational study, angiographic data of 8500 consecutive patients from June 2011 to December 2019 at a large tertiary care hospital in western India was analyzed. Patients diagnosed with ACAOS underwent CTA for delineation of the exact anatomy. Those with a non-malignant course with evidence of ischemia clinically or on stress myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI), underwent PCI. Others with a non-malignant course were medically managed. Patients with malignant (interarterial) course were revascularized by coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery in case of LCA involvement or positive MPI test. Asymptomatic patients with negative MPI were managed medically. Clinical follow-up over 12 months of patients undergoing PCI and those with a malignant course showed no major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE).Results: Of the 8500 patients studied, 74 (0.87%) had ACAOS. Of these, 51 (68.9%) patients had anomalous origin of right coronary artery (RCA) from the left aortic sinus, 21 (28.4%) had anomalous origin of the circumflex artery (Cx) from the right aortic sinus and two patients (2.7%) had an anomalous origin of the left main coronary artery (LCA) from the right aortic sinus. Interarterial course was found in five (6.7%) patients. Of these, four patients underwent CABG-one asymptomatic patient with LCA from right aortic sinus and three with positive MPI in anomalous RCA. All five patients with malignant course and ten patients who underwent PCI were free of MACE over 12 months’ clinical follow up.Conclusions: ACAOS is a rare anomaly and if interarterial course is excluded, then PCI is feasible in selected cases with significant stenosis. Patients with malignant course with inducible ischemia or LCA involvement should undergo surgical revascularisation.     

Coronary artery abnormalities: Current clinical issues

Introduction and Objective

Patients with anomalous coronary arteries arising from the opposite sinus of Valsalva (ACAOS), the left coronary artery (LCA) arising from the right sinus or the right coronary artery (RCA) from the left sinus with an interarterial course, may present from complete absence of symptoms to sudden cardiac death. Although there are guidelines on indications for surgery, controversy remains.

Diagnostic value of parasternal pulmonary artery short-axis view for the anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery

ObjectiveTo evaluate the diagnostic value of parasternal pulmonary artery (PA) short-axis view for the anomalous origin of left coronary artery (LCA) from the pulmonary artery by echocardiography.MethodsA total of 13 patients (3 boys) aged from 2 months to 12 years were enrolled. Transthoracic echocardiography, including cross-sectional imaging and color Doppler flow imaging, were performed, and their diagnoses were confirmed by operation.ResultsAmong the 13 patients, 7 had LCA originated from the left posterior wall of PA, 2 from the posterior wall, and 4 from the right posterior wall. The PA short-axis view could visualize the anomalous origin of the LCA from left posterior or posterior wall of PA clearly. The LCA and aortic wall were overlapping at 3–4 o’clock at PA short-axis view in the patients with LCA originating from the right posterior wall of PA. It was similar with the image of the LCA originating from the aorta. But the blood flow was opposite to that of LCA with normal origin.ConclusionsThe parasternal PA short-axis view is a good view to visualize the anomalous origin of the LCA.     

Anomalous origin and course of the coronary arteries

In the normal heart, the right and left coronary arteries arise from the aortic valvar sinuses adjacent to the pulmonary trunk. The right coronary artery then directly enters the right atrioventricular groove, whereas the main stem of the left coronary artery runs a short course before dividing to become the anterior interventricular and circumflex arteries. These arteries can have an anomalous origin from either the aorta or pulmonary trunk; their branches can have various anomalous origins relative to arterial pedicles. Other abnormal situations include myocardial bridging, abnormal communications, solitary coronary arteries, and duplicated arteries. Understanding of these variations is key to determining those anomalous patterns associated with sudden cardiac death. In the most common variant of an anomalous origin from the pulmonary trunk, the main stem of the left coronary artery arises from the sinus of the pulmonary trunk adjacent to the anticipated left coronary arterial aortic sinus. The artery can, however, arise from a pulmonary artery, or the right coronary artery can have an anomalous pulmonary origin. The key feature in the anomalous aortic origin is the potential for squeezing of the artery, produced by either the so-called intramural origin from the aorta, or the passage of the abnormal artery between the aortic root and the subpulmonary infundibulum.     

Identification, imaging, functional assessment and management of congenital coronary arterial abnormalities in children

The coronary arteries, the vessels through which both substrate and oxygen are provided to the cardiac muscle, normally arise from paired stems, right and left, each arising from a separate and distinct sinus of the aortic valve. The right coronary artery runs through the right atrioventricular groove, terminating in the majority of instances in the inferior interventricular groove. The main stem of the left coronary artery bifurcates into the anterior descending, or interventricular, and the circumflex branches. Origin of the anterior descending and circumflex arteries from separate orifices from the left sinus of Valsalva occurs in about 1% of the population, while it is also frequent to find the infundibular artery arising as a separate branch from the right sinus of Valsalva. Anomalies of the coronary arteries can result from rudimentary persistence of an embryologic coronary arterial structure, failure of normal development or normal atrophy as part of development, or misplacement of connection of a an otherwise normal coronary artery. Anomalies, therefore, can be summarized in terms of abnormal origin or course, abnormal number of coronary arteries, lack of patency of the orifice of coronary artery, or abnormal connections of the arteries. Anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary trunk occurs with an incidence of approximately 1 in 300,000 children. The degree of left ventricular dysfunction produced likely relates to the development of collateral vessels that arise from the right coronary artery, and provide flow into the left system. Anomalous origin of either the right or the left coronary artery from the opposite sinus of Valsalva can be relatively innocuous, but if the anomalous artery takes an interarterial course between the pulmonary trunk and the aorta, this can underlie sudden death, almost invariably during or immediately following strenuous exercise or competitive sporting events. Distal anomalies of the coronary arteries most commonly involve abnormal connections, or fistulas, between the right or left coronary arterial systems and a chamber or vessel. We discuss the current techniques available for imaging these various lesions, along with their functional assessment, concluding with a summary of current strategies for management.     

Morbidity associated with anomalous origin of the right coronary artery from the left sinus of Valsalva

Anomalies of the coronary arteries occur infrequently, but can have major clinical consequences. Many reports have described an association between sudden death and origin of the left coronary artery from the right sinus of Valsalva, but origin of the right coronary artery from the left sinus of Valsalva is thought to be benign. Herein, we describe a patient in whom anomalous origin of the right coronary artery from the left sinus of Valsalva was associated with significant cardiovascular morbidity. A 25-year-old man developed complete heart block and myocardial infarction in the distribution of a dominant anomalous right coronary artery free of atherosclerotic lesions. Systolic compression at the origin of the anomalous artery was demonstrated. The left coronary artery was normal. We conclude that anomalous origin of the right coronary artery from the left sinus of Valsalva may be associated with significant cardiovascular morbidity in the absence of atherosclerosis.     

A case series of left main coronary artery ostial atresia and a review of the literature

Left main coronary artery ostial atresia (LMCAOA) is a rare congenital anomaly of the coronary arteries. The published literature regarding the current diagnostic and management recommendations are limited. We present three case series of LMCAOA from our institution, including one with a unique association with anomalous origin of left coronary artery (LCA) from pulmonary artery. In addition, this report includes a review of 50 pediatric and 43 adult cases from literature. The majority of the patients were symptomatic. Sudden cardiac death occurred in 10% of pediatric patients and 7% of adult patients. Almost half of pediatric patients had additional cardiac lesions. At the time of diagnosis, 82% of patients had abnormal exercise stress test and 73% had abnormal myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI). The diagnosis of LMCAOA was suspected by echocardiography in 47% of pediatric patients, while 26% were initially misdiagnosed as anomalous origin of LCA from pulmonary artery. Coronary angiography confirmed the diagnosis in most cases and 70.5% of pediatric patients had small collaterals, while 80.5% of adult patients had large collaterals. Nine pediatric patients had no revascularization surgery with five deaths. Revascularization surgery was performed in 39 pediatric patients with four deaths. After 2005, there is a gradual shift toward performing coronary osteoplasty rather than coronary artery bypass grafting. Eighteen adult patients had revascularization surgery and all survived. Fifteen adult patients had no revascularization surgery, of which there were five deaths. In patients with LMCAOA, revascularization surgery is currently recommended in the presence of symptoms, ischemic changes on electrocardiogram or exercise stress test, myocardial perfusion defect on MPI, global left ventricular systolic dysfunction on echocardiogram, severe mitral regurgitation, or small‐sized collaterals in coronary angiography. Short‐term and mid‐term outcomes are encouraging.     

Origin of the right from the left main coronary artery (single coronary ostium in aorta)

Origin of both the right and left main (LM) coronary arteries from the aortic wall of the right sinus of Valsalva frequently is a lethal anomaly.¹ Origin of both the right and LM coronary arteries from the aortic wall of the left sinus of Valsalva, in contrast, usually is a benign anomaly.² Although many studies have described origin of both LM and right coronary arteries from the aortic wall of the same sinus of Valsalva, few^1,2 have described origin of the right coronary artery from the LM. Husaini et al³ described angiographic features of this anomaly in a 52-year-old man who underwent selective coronary angiography after probable acute myocardial infarction. Muus and McManus⁴ described this anomaly in a fullterm stillborn infant who also had a bicuspid aortic valve. Whether the coronary anomaly played a role in the stillbirth is uncertain. In both of these previously described patients, the anomalously arising right coronary artery coursed between aorta posteriorly and the pulmonary trunk anteriorly.     

成人冠状动脉起源异常分析

目的分析成人冠状动脉起源异常的发生情况。方法回顾性分析大连市金州区第一人民医院2003年3月至2006年12月接受冠状动脉造影的690例患者。结果完成冠状动脉造影690例,检出冠状动脉起源异常10例,检出率为1.4%,冠状动脉起源异常的10例中右冠状动脉起源异常7例,3例起源于无冠窦,1例起源于左冠窦,3例高位开口(2例开口于右冠窦上方,1例开口于无冠窦的上方);左冠状动脉起源异常3例,占30%,其中1例左回旋支起源于右冠窦,1例起源于右冠状动脉,1例左主干高位开口。结论冠状动脉造影是发现冠状动脉起源异常及确定其类型的重要手段。     

Anomalous origin of coronary arteries: When one sinus fits all

A right coronary artery origin from the left coronary sinus and a left coronary origin from the right sinus although rarely encountered during routine cardiac catheterization, they represent two relatively common autopsy findings in young patients suffering sudden cardiac death. The interarterial course of the aberrant artery, between the aortic root and the pulmonary artery has been considered as a malignant variant, because of the higher risk of myocardial ischemia and sudden death. We present two rare cases of ectopic coronary origin from the opposite sinus of Valsalva.     

Clinical, angiographic, and hemodynamic findings in patients with anomalous origin of the coronary arteries.

Clinical and angiographic features of 31 patients with anomalous coronpary artery origin are reviewed. Of 17 aberrant circumflex arteries from the right sinus of Valsalva or artery, each was retro-aortic, six atherosclerotic, and seven irrigated a small area of myocardium. Of seven anomalous right coronary arteries from the left sinus of Valsalva or artery, each was ante-aortic and two atherosclerotic. Aberrant origin of the circumflex or right coronary artery was a benign anomaly. The proximal course of seven aberrant left coronary arteries from the right sinus of Valsalva or right coronary artery was related to clinical events. The anomaly was best demonstrated in the lateral view. In five cases, coronary blood flow during exercise and myocardial metabolism during pacing were assessed. Two had had a previous infarction with nonatherosclerotic arteries. Exercise coronary blood flow was normal in four and low in one patient. Pacing resulted in lactate production in two with atherosclerotic and one without atherosclerotic arteries. We conclude that anomalous left coronpary origin from the right sinus of Valsalva can result in significant myocardial ischemia and infarction.     

A large coronary-pulmonary artery fistula in a cyanotic patient leading to severe biventricular dysfunction and heart failure

In cases of pulmonary atresia (PA) with ventricular septal defect (VSD), the commonest source of pulmonary blood flow is via major aortoplumonary collaterals. Collaterals may also arise from the coronary arteries and the reported prevalence of such coronary-pulmonary artery fistulas (CPAF) in PA with VSD is 10%. However gross congestive heart failure (CHF) and ventricular dysfunction is extremely rare in such cases. We report a 17-year-old male with PA with VSD and a large CPAF from the anterior right aortic sinus connecting to the left pulmonary artery, who presented with severe CHF. The left anterior descending and the right coronary artery both arose from the proximal part of the CPAF, possibly leading to extensive coronary steal and biventricular dysfunction.