A practical tip to engage the left main coronary artery in patients presenting with aortic aneurysms

Coronary angiography in patients presenting with ascending aortic aneurysms can be challenging since standard catheters may fail to reach the left main coronary artery. A widely accepted approach is the mother-in-child catheter technique whereby a catheter with a smaller diameter is telescoped through one with a bigger diameter, a procedure that helps to lengthen the catheter. However, this technique is associated with several disadvantages such as thrombus formation within the catheters, inadvertent damage to the left main ostium, and the necessity of manipulation, which the operator may not be familiar with. Therefore, in our case we present a method, which involves the application of a regular Judkins Right 4 catheter for left main engagement. We propose that this method can be safely attempted prior to using telescoping techniques