Coincidence of a right retroaortic circumflex coronary artery and a right-sided aortic arch with a retroesophageal course of the left subclavian artery (arteria lusoria).
An anomalous branch of the right coronary artery was found in a 71-year-old male cadaver with a right-sided aortic arch. The anomalous artery arose from the proximal portion of the right coronary artery and ran in a retroaortic course, before reaching the posterior wall of the heart. It was recognized as the right-sided variation of the circumflex coronary artery. The aortic arch had as branches the left common carotid, right common carotid, right subclavian, and left subclavian arteries, in that order, and the descending aorta was located in the right thorax. The left subclavian artery arose from a Kommerell's diverticulum and ran behind the esophagus, and the left-sided ligamentum arteriosum was also connected at the diverticulum. Therefore, the right aortic arch was classified as type N according to Adachi-Williams-Nakagawa and type III-B1 in accordance with Stewart-Edwards. The Kommerell's diverticulum in this case seemed to press on the posterior wall of the esophagus.
Kobayashi
N
N
Division of Anatomy and Embryology, Department of Integrated Basic Medical Science, Ehime University School of Medicine, Shitsukawa, To-on City, 791-0295, Japan. naoto@m.ehime-u.ac.jp
Takebayashi
T
T
Saito
S
S
Terashita
T
T
Shimokawa
T
T
Matsuda
S
S
D000368:Aged; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000002:abnormalities*; D002102:Cadaver; D009202:Cardiomyopathies / Q000209:etiology; D003330:Coronary Vessel Anomalies / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D013348:Subclavian Artery / Q000002:abnormalities*