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Imaging of congenital coronary artery anomalies

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Abstract

Imaging of the coronary arteries is an important part of the evaluation of children with congenital heart disease and isolated congenital coronary artery anomalies. Echocardiography remains the main imaging modality and is complemented by MRI and CT angiography in the older or difficult-to-image child. We review echocardiography, MRI, and CT angiography for coronary artery imaging, with emphasis on techniques. The clinical implications of isolated congenital coronary artery anomalies are also addressed, along with a discussion about the current consensus on optimal management of these anomalies.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge Zhanna Roytman and Komal Srivastava in regards to the preparation of the images in the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, 1 Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1201, New York, 10029, USA

    Rowan Walsh, James C. Nielsen, H. Helen Ko, Javier Sanz, Shubhika Srivastava, Ira A. Parness & Irene D. Lytrivi

  2. Division of Cardiology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, 1 Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1030, New York, 10029, USA

    Javier Sanz

Authors
  1. Rowan Walsh
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  2. James C. Nielsen
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  3. H. Helen Ko
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  4. Javier Sanz
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  5. Shubhika Srivastava
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  6. Ira A. Parness
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  7. Irene D. Lytrivi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rowan Walsh.

Electronic supplementary material

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Three dimensional CT angiography of normal proximal coronary origins is utilized to demonstrate the imaging planes for standard echocardiographic views. CT dataset is rotated and aligned into a view from the left ventricular apex. This vantage point corresponds to the parasternal short-axis echocardiographic views. Still frame profiling normal origin of the left main coronary artery (LM), left anterior descending (LAD) and circumflex (CX). Note the Doppler color flow mapping superimposed on the 2-D image with normal antegrade flow in the LAD and circumflex. Right coronary artery is profiled from similar plane—again viewed from the left ventricular apex—parasternal short-axis echocardiographic view with color flow mapping demonstrating normal antegrade flow (red) in the right coronary artery (AVI 23266 kb)

(Corresponds to Fig. 2). CT Angiography. Sagittal sweep of the anatomy of an anomalous left main coronary origin with an intraseptal course. Image is moving from the rightward aspect of the aortic root, leftward. The image begins rightward of the coronary origin, profiling the proximal right coronary artery. As the image moves leftward, a single coronary ostium is seen, then the left main coronary artery (white arrow) is visualized arising from the single coronary and courses inferiorly into the conal septum (CS). Note the inferior location relative to the aortic (Ao) and pulmonary (PA) roots. The origin of the circumflex coronary is seen at the end of the movie (MP4 8778 kb)

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Walsh, R., Nielsen, J.C., Ko, H.H. et al. Imaging of congenital coronary artery anomalies. Pediatr Radiol 41, 1526–1535 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00247-011-2256-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00247-011-2256-3

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