Right Coronary Artery with an Intramural and Interarterial Course as a Unique Cause of Myocardial Ischemia: The Unroofing Method Might Still Be the Best Solution

Intern Med. 2023 Mar 1;62(5):745-749. doi: 10.2169/internalmedicine.0127-22. Epub 2022 Jul 29.

Abstract

A 39-year-old man was admitted because of cardiac arrest. Emergent coronary angiography revealed a preserved coronary blood flow; however, multiple-row detector computed tomography (MDCT) revealed that the proximal right coronary artery (RCA) was running inside the aortic wall, creating proximal stenosis without atherosclerotic changes. Surgical intervention with unroofing was performed; however, postoperative stenosis of the proximal RCA required additional coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Intraoperative findings during CABG did not reveal hematoma or coronary dissection. However, MDCT one year after CABG depicted improvement of the RCA and graft stenoses, suggesting that the post-unroof stenosis may have been caused by an inflammatory reaction after surgical intervention.

Keywords: coronary anomaly; myocardial ischemia.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Constriction, Pathologic / complications
  • Coronary Angiography / adverse effects
  • Coronary Artery Disease* / complications
  • Coronary Vessel Anomalies*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Myocardial Ischemia*