Long main stem of left coronary artery with resultant meandering course of left circumflex artery

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Anatomy
• Interventional Cardiology
• Radiological Imaging

Background:

• Anatomical variations in coronary arteries can influence cardiovascular disease presentation and treatment.
• Understanding rare coronary artery anomalies is crucial for accurate diagnosis and patient management.

Observation:

• A 49-year-old woman presented with an incidentally discovered variant of the left coronary artery.
• This variant featured an unusually long left main stem, leading to a tortuous course of the left circumflex artery.
• A partially empty left atrioventricular groove was also noted in association with this anomaly.

Findings:

• The elongated left main coronary artery resulted in a meandering left circumflex artery.
• This anatomical finding was incidentally detected during diagnostic imaging.
• The left atrioventricular groove showed partial absence, potentially related to the coronary anomaly.

Implications:

• This case underscores the importance of recognizing rare coronary artery variants during imaging.
• Such variations may have implications for the interpretation of cardiac imaging and planning of interventions.
• Further investigation into the functional significance and clinical impact of this specific coronary anomaly is warranted.