Open AccessCoronary Arterial Development: A Review of Normal and Congenitally Anomalous Patterns
Author(s) -
Lluri Gentian,
Aboulhosn Jamil
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
clinical cardiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.263
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1932-8737
pISSN - 0160-9289
DOI - 10.1002/clc.22237
Subject(s) - medicine , cardiology , artery , coronary arteries , coronary artery disease , pericardium , sudden cardiac death , sudden death , ischemia , myocardial ischemia , pulmonary artery , left coronary artery , coronary artery anomaly , aortic sinus , right coronary artery , coronary angiography , myocardial infarction
Coronary artery development is a delicate, complex, and finely tuned process that includes multiple interactions among many pathways, especially in the pericardium and the developing myocardium. There still exists some controversy on the exact origin of certain cellular components. Nevertheless, an understanding of this extremely important developmental process is paramount in identifying some of the causes of anomalous coronary development. There are different patterns of anomalous coronary arteries, with variable risk of myocardial ischemia, malignant arrhythmias, and sudden cardiac death. These anomalies can be broadly categorized into 2 basic anatomic subsets: those with origin of the anomalous coronary artery from the opposite aortic sinus, and those with origin of the anomalous coronary artery from the pulmonary artery. Diagnosis and management of such patterns continues to be challenging. A good knowledge of the normal and abnormal coronary artery development could potentially help us explore new avenues in the treatment of ischemic heart disease as well as anomalous coronary arteries.