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Published on: August 28, 2018
Usefulness of multidetector CT angiography for anomalous origin of coronary artery
Takenori Ishisone1, Mamoru Satoh1, Hitoshi Okabayashi1
1Iwate Medical University School of Medicine, Morioka, Japan.
Insights
This study highlights a rare coronary artery anomaly causing exercise-induced syncope in a teen. Multidetector CT coronary angiography diagnosed the condition, which was successfully treated with surgery.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Exercise-induced syncope can have various causes, including cardiac conditions.
- Congenital coronary artery anomalies are a potential, though often overlooked, cause of syncope.
Observation:
- A 17-year-old male presented with exercise-induced syncope.
- Standard exercise stress tests and ECGs were inconclusive.
- Multidetector CT (MDCT) coronary angiography revealed an anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the right coronary sinus.
Findings:
- The patient's syncope was attributed to cardiogenic causes, specifically transient left main coronary artery stenosis.
- The stenosis likely occurred due to the coronary artery being compressed between the aortic root and pulmonary trunk during exercise.
- Patch coronary angioplasty successfully resolved the patient's symptoms.
Implications:
- Clinicians should consider coronary artery anomalies in patients with unexplained exercise-induced syncope.
- MDCT coronary angiography is a valuable non-invasive tool for diagnosing these anomalies.
- Surgical correction of congenital coronary artery anomalies can effectively treat associated syncope.
Abstract:
A 17-year-old man underwent clinical evaluation of exercise-induced syncope. Routine exercise stress test did not show any myocardial ischaemic changes or arrhythmias on the ECG recording. However, multidetector CT (MDCT) angiography of the coronary arteries revealed an abnormal origin of the left coronary artery from the right coronary sinus. The participants' symptoms were diagnosed as cardiogenic syncope possibly due to transient stenosis of the left main coronary artery caught between the functionally distended aortic root and the pulmonary trunk during exercise. After successful patch coronary angioplasty, his symptoms disappeared completely even during a similar degree of strenuous exercise. It is important for clinicians not to overlook possible coronary artery anomalies during management of patients with exercise-induced syncope. MDCT coronary angiography may be a useful and non-invasive tool to establish diagnosis and a surgical approach to rectify congenital coronary artery anomalies.
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