Right Coronary Artery Originating from the Left: Do Not Miss the Diagnosis!

Sedat Türkoğlu1, Serkan Ünlü1, Gülten Aydoğdu Taçoy1

  • 1Department of Cardiology, Gazi University School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.

Insights

The most frequent anomalous origination of a coronary artery from the opposite sinus (ACAOS) is the right coronary artery (RCA) originating from the left coronary sinus (LCS). This finding highlights potential underreporting of this specific coronary anomaly.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Cardiovascular Imaging
  • Congenital Heart Disease

Background:

  • Anomalous origination of a coronary artery from the opposite sinus (ACAOS) is a congenital heart defect with varying reported prevalences.
  • The left circumflex (LCx) artery originating from the right coronary artery (RCA) system is often cited as the most common ACAOS type.
  • Contradictory findings suggest the right coronary artery (RCA) originating from the left coronary sinus (LCS) may be more frequent.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the most common type of ACAOS within a single-center registry.
  • To clarify the prevalence of different ACAOS variations.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of a catheterization laboratory database.
  • Inclusion of all coronary angiograms performed between 1999 and 2006.
  • Detailed review of all examinations to identify and classify ACAOS cases.

Main Results:

  • ACAOS was identified in 35 out of 5165 coronary angiograms.
  • The most frequent ACAOS type was the right coronary artery (RCA) originating from the left coronary sinus (LCS) (16 cases).
  • The left circumflex artery (LCx) originating from the right coronary sinus (RCS) or RCA occurred in 13 cases.
  • Five cases of RCA originating from LCS were previously misdiagnosed or unreported.

Conclusions:

  • Right coronary artery (RCA) originating from the left coronary sinus (LCS) is the most common ACAOS in this registry.
  • Potential for misdiagnosis and underreporting of RCA originating from LCS may influence true prevalence data.
  • Accurate identification of ACAOS is crucial for understanding its epidemiology.
Abstract

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