A Case of an Anomalous Right Coronary Artery Arising from the Left Coronary Cusp
Muhammad Shabbir Rawala1, Ahmer A Longi2, Arfeen A Khan3
1Internal Medicine, Charleston Area Medical Center, Charleston, USA.
Insights
An anomalous origin of the right coronary artery, usually asymptomatic, can increase sudden cardiac death risk. Surgical correction is recommended for this congenital heart anomaly to prevent adverse events.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Congenital Heart Disease
- Interventional Cardiology
Background:
- Anomalous origin of the right coronary artery (ARCA) is a rare congenital coronary artery anomaly.
- While often asymptomatic and incidentally discovered during angiography, ARCA is associated with an increased risk of sudden cardiac death, particularly in younger individuals.
Abstract:
An anomalous origin of the right coronary artery is usually asymptomatic. It is mostly found incidentally on an invasive diagnostic angiogram. It does lead to an increased risk of sudden cardiac death, especially in younger patients. We present a case of a 41-year-old who had presented to the hospital with complaints of chest pain. The patient was evaluated by cardiology who performed an angiography that identified an anomalous origin of the right coronary artery arising from the left coronary cusp but no evidence of coronary artery disease. Once identified, these anomalous vessels should be corrected surgically, as these conditions increase the risk of sudden cardiac death arrhythmia and ischemic events.
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