Coronary Artery Malformations Presenting as Acute Coronary Syndromes: A Case Series

Abstract

Coronary artery malformations are rare congenital abnormalities, which present non-specific symptoms such as atypical chest pain, malignant arrhythmia, or sudden cardiac death. The proper diagnosis of these abnormalities in emergency conditions can be very difficult, and noninvasive imaging techniques, such as computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging, along with the gold standard represented by invasive coronary angiography, remain the most frequently used modalities for diagnosing these rare cases. We present four cases of coronary anomalies represented by an abnormal origin of the coronary arteries from the coronary ostium, presenting in emergency conditions with symptoms of acute myocardial infarction, which were diagnosed by urgent angiography.

Keywords

• coronary artery malformation
• coronary ostium
• congenital heart diseases