title: Diagnostic modalities for the evaluation of anomalous left main coronary arteries.
abstract: Anomalous coronary arteries are rare and usually identified as an incidental finding during cardiac catheterization. The particular difficulty with cardiac catheterization techniques is not necessarily the presence of the anomalous coronary artery, but its anatomic course. Oftentimes, surgical intervention is necessary once these anomalies are discovered. The identification and anatomic characterization of anomalous coronary arteries has been significantly advanced with the use of current diagnostic noninvasive imaging modalities. We present 3 cases of an anomalous left main coronary artery that arises from the right sinus of Valsalva. Noninvasive imaging methods provided a clear anatomic course of the anomalous vessel.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Amar D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.forename: Walter L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Few
authors.forename: Eugen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ivan
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sorescu
authors.forename: Tarek
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Helmy
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017023:Coronary Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D003330:Coronary Vessel Anomalies / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D017548:Echocardiography, Transesophageal / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D035583:Rare Diseases; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*