Detection of anomalous origins of the coronary artery by means of multislice computed tomography.
BACKGROUND
Anomalous origins of the coronary artery are rare, but may cause myocardial ischemia and sudden death. Thus, their reliable identification is crucial for any imaging method that attempts coronary artery visualization and of those available multislice computed tomography (MSCT), which provides excellent spatial resolution, may be the most promising.


RESULTS
In consecutive 1,153 patients, MSCT identified 5 patients (0.43 %) with an anomalous origin of the coronary artery. The left circumflex artery (LCX) originated from the right sinus of Valsalva in 1 patient, and the right coronary artery originated from the left sinus of Valsalva and coursed between the aortic root and the pulmonary artery in 3 patients. In 1 patient, MSCT identified the absence of the LCX and high-grade atherosclerotic stenosis in the right coronary artery.


CONCLUSIONS
MSCT can detect the anomalous origin and course of the coronary artery in relation to the great vessels. It is also useful for identifying atherosclerotic coronary artery disease superimposed on the anomalous vascular system.
Sato
Yuichi
Y
Department of Cardiology, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. yuichis@med.nihon-u.ac.jp
Inoue
Fumio
F
Matsumoto
Naoya
N
Tani
Shigemasa
S
Takayama
Tadateru
T
Yoda
Shunichi
S
Kunimasa
Taeko
T
Ishii
Nobuaki
N
Uchiyama
Takahisa
T
Saito
Satoshi
S
Tanaka
Hiroshi
H
Furuhashi
Satoru
S
Takahashi
Motoichiro
M
Koyama
Yasushi
Y
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001011:Aorta; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis; D019521:Body Patterning; D002637:Chest Pain / Q000175:diagnosis; D003330:Coronary Vessel Anomalies / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D011651:Pulmonary Artery; D012850:Sinus of Valsalva; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed