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.
Abstract:
Until recently anomalous coronary artery anatomy was only identified either by coronary angiography, at autopsy, or during cardiac surgery. With recent developments in the area of cardiac imaging, ECG-gated cardiac computed tomography (CT) has emerged as a minimally invasive modality to delineate both coronary anatomy and pathology. We present a case of an anomalous right coronary artery origin from the ascending aorta detected by ECG-gated cardiac CT in a 47 year-old male who presented to the emergency department complaining of acute chest pain after intense exercise. Given its relatively non invasive nature, ECG-gated cardiac CT may assist in the diagnosis and management of patients with atypical chest pain in which more invasive diagnostic examinations (i.e. coronary angiography) are not warranted.
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