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Anomalous course of coronary arteries

Dr Yuranga Weerakkody and Radswiki et al.

An anomalous course of a coronary artery, a type of congenital coronary artery anomaly, can be merely a benign and incidental finding, but can also be life threatening, depending on where the artery runs.

In the majority of cases, the aberrant artery has what is referred to as a benign course. Some however pass between the aorta and the main pulmonary artery (so-called interarterial course). When this is the cases, and especially during physical activity, the artery is compressed and flow within it compromised. For this reason this condition is called malignant.

Clinical symptoms

This can result in ischaemia, arrhythmias or sudden death.

Treatment and prognosis

If untreated the prognosis is severe. An interarterial course requires surgical repair.

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References

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1. Datta J, White CS, Gilkeson RC et-al. Anomalous coronary arteries in adults: depiction at multi-detector row CT angiography. Radiology. 2005;235 (3): 812-8. doi:10.1148/radiol.2353040314 - Pubmed citation