An unexpected cause of angina detected by ECG-gated cardiac computed tomography

Mylonas Ilias1, Claudius Mahr, John Salanitri

  • 1Department of Medicine, Evanston Northwestern Healthcare, Evanston Hospital, 2650 Ridge Avenue, Evanston, IL 60201, USA. i-mylonas2@md.northwestern.edu

Insights

ECG-gated cardiac CT can detect anomalous coronary artery origins, like a right coronary artery from the aorta. This minimally invasive imaging helps diagnose atypical chest pain when other methods are too risky.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Imaging
  • Diagnostic Radiology

Background:

  • Anomalous coronary artery anatomy was historically diagnosed via invasive methods like coronary angiography or during surgery.
  • Advances in cardiac imaging have introduced less invasive techniques for coronary assessment.

Observation:

  • A 47-year-old male presented with acute chest pain post-exercise.
  • The patient's symptoms prompted an investigation into coronary artery anatomy.

Findings:

  • ECG-gated cardiac computed tomography (CT) successfully identified an anomalous right coronary artery originating from the ascending aorta.
  • This finding was made in a patient presenting with atypical chest pain.

Implications:

  • ECG-gated cardiac CT offers a minimally invasive alternative for diagnosing coronary artery anomalies.
  • This imaging modality can aid in managing patients with atypical chest pain, potentially avoiding more invasive procedures.

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