Anomalous coronary artery found in the syncopal workup of an elderly man

Ronnie Oommen, Thad Wilkins, Stephen Y. Chen, Vishal Arora

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

Syncope, defined as a transient loss of consciousness, is seen in 1% of all visits to emergency departments and urgent care clinics in the United States. Syncope is categorized as cardiogenic, neurologic, or psychogenic. Anomalies of the coronary arteries are rare, and anomalous coronary arteries present as syncope more often in the young than in the elderly; syncope rarely occurs in patients 65 years of age and older. There are 2 major variants of coronary anomalies. In the first variant, the left main coronary artery arises from the right aortic sinus. In the second variant, the right coronary artery arises from the left aortic sinus. The risk of sudden death is higher in patients with the left coronary artery arising from the right aortic sinus. We present a case of an anomalous coronary artery discovered during the syncopal workup in a 66-year-old man because no such cases have been published in the United States. We will discuss the management of anomalous coronary arteries as well as a systematic approach to the diagnosis and management of syncope.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)541-546
Number of pages6
JournalJournal of the American Board of Family Medicine
Volume25
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 2012

Keywords

  • Anomalous coronary arteries
  • Case reports
  • Elderly
  • Syncope

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
  • Family Practice

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