title: Anomalous origin of right coronary artery from the left coronary sinus: incidence, characteristics, and a systematic approach for rapid diagnosis.
abstract: Twenty-three patients were found to have anomalous origin of right coronary artery from the left coronary sinus (LCS) from January 2000 to October 2003. The mean age was 58.6+/-14.3 years with male predominance (56.5%). Cardiovascular risk factors were found in 18 (78.3%) patients while coronary artery disease was seen in 13 (56.5%) patients. Among the coronary artery disease patients, the left anterior descending artery was the most commonly involved, followed by the right coronary artery and the left circumflex artery. Right coronary artery dominance was seen in 19 (82.6%) patients. The anomalous right coronary artery originates within the left coronary sinus in 17 (73.9%) patients while from the left aortic wall above the sinus in 6 (26.1%) patients only. Congenital heart disease and acquired valvular heart disease were the most common associated conditions. The author will share his experience and suggest a four-step approach of early recognition and selection of the anomalous right coronary artery ostium. Using the suggested strategy, most of the anomalous right coronary artery could be opacified with a left amplatz 1 catheter. Aortogram was needed only in 47.8% of cases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Queen Mary Hospital, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong. jimmanh2002@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Man-Hong
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Jim
authors.forename: Chung-Wah
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Siu
authors.forename: Hee-Hwa
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.forename: Raymond
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Miu
authors.forename: Yui-Ming
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.forename: Raymond Hon-Wah
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: Stephen Wai-Luen
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003330:Coronary Vessel Anomalies / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors