title: Usefulness of electron beam computed tomography for diagnosis of an anomalous origin of a coronary artery from the opposite sinus.
abstract: The ectopic origination of a coronary artery from the opposite sinus is a rare condition, often discovered as an incidental finding during invasive catheter angiography performed for the evaluation of atherosclerotic coronary artery disease. Although most patients lack hemodynamic significance, a small fraction of these anomalies have been associated with sudden cardiac death and ischemic complications. The exact anatomic definition of the anomalous coronary artery and its course, especially in relation to the ascending aorta and the pulmonary trunk, is therefore crucial for every imaging modality that attempts coronary artery visualization. To underline the potential of 3-dimensional electron-beam computed tomography as an important complement to invasive angiography in the delineation of anomalous coronary arteries, this study focused on the potentially malignant ectopic contralateral origination of a coronary artery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, St. Louis University Hospital, St. Louis, Missouri, USA. memisoei@slu.edu
authors.forename: Esat
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Memisoglu
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ropers
authors.forename: Gultekin
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hobikoglu
authors.forename: M Savas
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Tepe
authors.forename: Arthur J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Labovitz
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001011:Aorta / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D003326:Coronary Circulation; D003330:Coronary Vessel Anomalies / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012850:Sinus of Valsalva / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed