Presence of anomalous coronary seen on angiogram is not associated with increased risk of significant coronary artery disease

It is unclear if anomalous coronary arteries are at higher risk for atherosclerosis. The link between anomalous coronary artery and early coronary artery disease has been suggested. The aim of this study is to determine whether the coronary artery anomaly predisposes to development of significant coronary disease. Using retrospective chart review, patients with documented anomalous coronary arteries recognized during coronary angiography between years 2000 to 2007 were analyzed. Prevalence of significant atherosclerotic coronary artery disease (defined as more than 50% luminal narrowing) was compared between normal and anomalous coronaries. A total of 147 patients with anomalous coronary arteries were found. Right coronary artery was the most common anomalous artery 128 of 148 (86.5%) in our dataset. There was no difference in the occurrence of atherosclerosis between anomalous and nonanomalous coronaries. Significant atherosclerosis was present in 59 of the 148 anomalous coronary arteries (37.8%), and 112 of the 293 nonanomalous coronary arteries (38.2%, p = 0.9). On the basis of our study, there is no evidence that anomalous coronary arteries predispose to significant coronary artery disease in comparison to normal coronary arteries.