TITLE:
Congenital Coronary Variants and Anomalies: Prevalence in Cardiovascular Multislice Computed Tomography Studies in a Single Center
AUTHORS:
Catarina A. Oliveira, Paula Mota, Susana P. Basso, Rui P. Catarino
KEYWORDS:
Coronary Angiography, Congenital Anomalies, Diagnosis, Epidemiology, Imaging, Computed Tomography
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Radiology,
Vol.4 No.2,
May
22,
2014
ABSTRACT: In the era of
Multislice Computed Tomography (MSCT), few studies have been dedicated to the
evaluation of coronary anomalies and variants. We aim to present, describe and
assess the prevalence of congenital coronary variants and anomalies (CVA) in
the MSCT coronary angiographic studies performed in our department. All the
MSCT coronary angiographies performed in our department, between April 1,
2007 and May 31, 2012 were reviewed. Coronary anomalies and variants were
characterized and grouped according to their type: origin, course (including
myocardial bridging) and distal ending. A total of 663 patients underwent a
MSCT coronary evaluation during this period. A total of 84 anomalies and variants
were identified in 80 individuals: 12.1% of the population (80/663). The most
frequent variant was the myocardial bridging of the anterior descending
artery. Four (4.7%) of the anomalies were considered malignant, corresponding
to a prevalence of 0.6% (4/663) in the population. Congenital coronary
anomalies and variants are relatively common. In our study, the prevalence was
12.1%, myocardial bridging being the most common. This fact may explain the
higher prevalence compared to some series based on the cardiac
catheterization studies. Few of these anomalies were considered malignant, with
prevalence rates similar to those found in the cardiac catheterization studies.