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Anomalous Origin of Right Coronary Artery From Left Coronary Sinus

Division of Cardiac Surgery, Hospital de Cruces, Barakaldo
¹ Division of Cardiology, Hospital Santiago Apóstol, Vitoria, Spain

For reprint information contact: José I Aramendi, MD, Tel: 34 94 600 6339, Fax: 34 94 600 6079, Email: JI.ARAMENDI{at}terra.es, Division of Cardiac Surgery, Hospital de Cruces, Barakaldo 48903, Spain.

Anomalous aortic origin of the coronary arteries is uncommon but clinically significant. Manifestations vary from asymptomatic patients to those who present with angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, heart failure, syncope, arrhythmias, and sudden death. We describe 4 patients, aged 34 to 59 years, who were diagnosed with right coronary artery arising from the left sinus of Valsalva, confirmed by coronary angiography, which was surgically repaired. Three patients presented dyspnea and angina, and one with acute myocardial infarction. At operation, the right coronary artery was dissected at the take-off from the intramural course, and reimplanted into the right sinus of Valsalva. There was no mortality. One patient had associated coronary artery disease that required stent placement postoperatively. This reimplantation technique provides a good physiological and anatomical repair, eliminates a slit-like ostium, avoids compression of the coronary artery between the aorta and the pulmonary artery, and gives superior results to coronary artery bypass grafting or the unroofing technique.