Coronary artery anomalies: incidence, pathophysiology, clinical relevance and role of diagnostic imaging

Radiol Med. 2006 Apr;111(3):376-91. doi: 10.1007/s11547-006-0036-1. Epub 2006 Apr 11.
[Article in English, Italian]

Abstract

Conventional coronary angiography is the gold standard for the diagnosis of coronary artery anomalies. Coronary anomalies are relatively rare findings in patients undergoing conventional coronary angiography for suspected obstructive coronary artery disease. Recently, the increasing performance of diagnostic techniques, such as electron beam tomography (EBT), magnetic resonance (MR) and, more recently, multislice computed tomography (MSCT), has enabled their application to cardiac imaging. MSCT, in particular, has a prominent role in coronary imaging due to its spatial and temporal resolution and three-dimensional capabilities. We report the incidence and pathophysiology of coronary artery anomalies based on the capabilities of recent diagnostic tools with the aim of improving an accurate and noninvasive diagnostic approach.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Coronary Angiography
  • Coronary Vessel Anomalies / diagnosis*
  • Diagnostic Imaging*
  • Echocardiography
  • Humans
  • Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / methods
  • Imaging, Three-Dimensional / methods
  • Magnetic Resonance Angiography
  • Radiographic Image Enhancement / methods
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed / methods