Single Coronary Artery With Anomalous Origin From the Right Sinus Valsalva: A Rarity in the Catheterization Laboratory

Abstract

A single coronary artery is a rare congenital anomaly with an incidence of 0.02%. We report a 74-year-old Caucasian female presenting with angina pectoris, effort dyspnea and a history of hypertension and hypercholesterolemia, being diagnosed with a very rare variant of a single coronary artery arising from the right sinus of Valsalva continuing as right coronary artery (RCA) and thereafter as left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD). Because the patient was asymptomatic with ischemic medication and had a proposed relative benign course, we recommended medical treatment without coronary artery bypass surgery. Twelve months after angiography the patient has been in fine condition and asymptomatic under medical treatment. Cardiologist should keep in mind that patients with coronary artery anomalies are usually asymptomatic. They may develop clinical symptoms like syncope, angina pectoris, ventricular arrhythmias, myocardial infarction and sudden death. The treatment strategy for single coronary artery is still not clear.




J Med Cases. 2011;2(4):166-168
doi: https://doi.org/10.4021/jmc239e