An unusual pattern of three major components of the cardiovascular system: multimodality imaging and review of the literature

INTRODUCTION: Coronary artery anomalies are found in 0.4% to 1.4% of patients who undergo coronary angiography. Anomalous origin of left coronary artery from the right sinus of Valsava is the rarest, with a reported prevalence of 0.02 –0.03% according to angiographic studies. CASE PRESENTATION: We present the rare case of a 42-year-old-man suffering from stable angina with unusual development of 3 major components of the cardiovascular system Coronary angiography revealed an anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the ostium of the right coronary artery. Magnetic resonance angiography depicted an anomalous origin of the left common carotid artery from the innominate artery and an aneurysm of descending thoracic aorta. Coronary computed tomography angiography revealed the course of left coronary artery between aortic root and conus arteriosus at the level of the right ventricular outflow tract. In this report we attempt to highlight the rarity of this vascular anatomy. CONCLUSION: Anomalous origins of the coronary arteries are rare, but may cause myocardial ischemia and sudden death. Thus, their reliable identification is a matter of paramount importance possibly evaluating the effects of therapeutic intervention. Newer imaging modalities improve the illumination of vascular system anatomy, shedding light to diagnostic dilemmas that come up in daily medical practice.