Abstract

BACKGROUND: Coronary artery anomalies are rare, accounting for about 0.3–1.3% of patients undergoing diagnostic coronary angiography. Interventions in these cases are still rare, and therefore pose technical challenges during intervention. CT Angiography provides a non-invasive means of assessment of coronary artery disease and also shows the anatomy of the coronary tree. This helps in knowing the origin of the coronaries and also to plan selection of hardware. There are no specific guidelines for use of guiding catheters and guide wires in anomalous coronary artery intervention.

CASE REPORT: We report a series of 5 patients presenting with effort angina who had anomalous coronary arteries with coronary stenosis diagnosed by CT angiography. Three patients received percutaneous intervention, 1 patient underwent CABG, and 1 patient received medical management.

CONCLUSIONS: CT Angiography provides a useful tool for showing the coronary anatomy and for selecting the guiding catheter and the guide wire that remain the mainstay of interventions in coronary artery anomalies.

Keywords: Coronary Angiography - methods, Coronary Vessel Anomalies - surgery, Coronary Vessels - surgery, Diagnosis, Differential, Percutaneous Coronary Intervention - methods, Tomography, X-Ray Computed - methods