Iliev Alexandar, Kotov Georgi, Dimitrova Iva N
Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Medical University of Sofia, Sofia, BGR.
Cardiology, University Hospital St. Ekaterina, Medical University of Sofia, Sofia, BGR.
Cureus. 2018 Jun 13;10(6):e2796. doi: 10.7759/cureus.2796.
Coronary artery anomalies represent a rare phenomenon, which is observed in approximately 1% of the population. Although not a frequent anomaly, they may lead to complications during various procedures and can sometimes present with angina pectoris or myocardial infarction. Herein, we present a rare case of a patient with origin of the left main coronary artery from the right sinus of Valsalva combined with a superdominant right coronary artery due to a hypoplastic left circumflex artery. A 67-year-old male patient presented with symptoms of chest pain on exertion, which lasted for approximately 10 minutes and resolved after rest. Physical examination, auscultation, electrocardiogram, and transthoracic echocardiography revealed normal findings. Cardiac enzymes were within the reference ranges, while the levels of triglycerides and low density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol were elevated. The patient was further evaluated through coronary angiography. It revealed the origin of the left coronary artery from the right sinus of Valsalva, with a markedly hypoplastic left circumflex artery and the presence of a 'superdominant' right coronary artery. Atherosclerotic lesions were not observed, and the symptoms were discussed to have been caused by the anomalous pattern of the coronary arteries and the hypoplastic left circumflex artery in particular. The most common symptom of a hypoplastic or absent left circumflex artery is chest pain on exertion which is explained by the 'steal' phenomenon - due to increased demand in the area normally supplied by the left circumflex artery, a transitory ischemia occurs in the basins supplied by the left anterior descending artery and the right coronary artery. These findings were similar to our case. Such variations, although mostly asymptomatic, can sometimes lead to serious cardiovascular conditions and should be considered by clinicians during the assessment of cardiac symptoms.
冠状动脉异常是一种罕见现象,在大约1%的人群中可见。尽管这种异常并不常见,但它们可能在各种手术过程中导致并发症,有时还会表现为心绞痛或心肌梗死。在此,我们报告一例罕见病例,患者左主冠状动脉起源于右冠窦,同时因左旋支动脉发育不全而存在优势右冠状动脉。一名67岁男性患者出现劳力性胸痛症状,持续约10分钟,休息后缓解。体格检查、听诊、心电图和经胸超声心动图检查结果均正常。心肌酶在参考范围内,而甘油三酯和低密度脂蛋白胆固醇水平升高。患者通过冠状动脉造影进一步评估。结果显示左冠状动脉起源于右冠窦,左旋支动脉明显发育不全,存在“优势”右冠状动脉。未观察到动脉粥样硬化病变,讨论认为症状是由冠状动脉异常模式,特别是左旋支动脉发育不全引起的。左旋支动脉发育不全或缺如最常见的症状是劳力性胸痛,这可以用“窃血”现象来解释——由于左旋支动脉正常供血区域需求增加,左前降支动脉和右冠状动脉供血区域会出现短暂性缺血。这些发现与我们的病例相似。这种变异虽然大多无症状,但有时可导致严重心血管疾病,临床医生在评估心脏症状时应予以考虑。