Publication

Anomalous origin of the right coronary artery: preoperative and postoperative hemodynamics

Journal Paper/Review - Oct 1, 1998

Units
PubMed

Citation
Radke P, Messmer B, Haager P, Klues H. Anomalous origin of the right coronary artery: preoperative and postoperative hemodynamics. The Annals of thoracic surgery 1998; 66:1444-9.
Type
Journal Paper/Review (English)
Journal
The Annals of thoracic surgery 1998; 66
Publication Date
Oct 1, 1998
Issn Print
0003-4975
Pages
1444-9
Brief description/objective

Anomalous origin of the right coronary artery from the main pulmonary artery is a rare congenital cardiac malformation. Most patients remain asymptomatic. However, there are cases of sudden cardiac death described in the literature, indicating a potentially malign course of the disease. To establish a double-ostium coronary system, correction of the aberrant vessel is recommended. Despite surgical reconstitution of normal coronary anatomy, the postoperative clinical presentation of some patients does not improve substantially, raising the question of the functional outcome of reinserted coronary vessels. This report of a patient with anomalous origin of the right coronary artery from the pulmonary trunk, in whom a complete hemodynamic assessment including intracoronary Doppler flow measurements was performed before and after reimplantation, very strongly supports the concept of an anatomically corrective operation.