The Role of MDCT Coronary Angiography in the Detection of Benign Varieties and Anomalies of Coronary Blood Vessels—A Narrative Review
Coronary arteries may vary in quantity, point of origin, or course. These variations fall under the category of anatomical variants/anomalies of the coronary arteries, representing congenital abnormalities of the coronary vascular system. Generally, they are benign, asymptomatic, and identified inad...
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2025-04-01
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| author | Ana Mladenovic Markovic Ana Tomic Miodrag Nisevic Biljana Parapid Nikola Boskovic Marina Vitas Miona Jevtovic Sandra Grujicic |
| author_facet | Ana Mladenovic Markovic Ana Tomic Miodrag Nisevic Biljana Parapid Nikola Boskovic Marina Vitas Miona Jevtovic Sandra Grujicic |
| author_sort | Ana Mladenovic Markovic |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Coronary arteries may vary in quantity, point of origin, or course. These variations fall under the category of anatomical variants/anomalies of the coronary arteries, representing congenital abnormalities of the coronary vascular system. Generally, they are benign, asymptomatic, and identified inadvertently during coronary angiography conducted for alternative indications. However, in some cases, the anomaly’s characteristics or its interaction with surrounding structures may cause hemodynamic disturbances. These disturbances can lead to turbulent blood flow, which in turn poses an increased likelihood for the development of atherosclerosis and myocardial ischemia. If symptomatic, potential manifestations include chest pain, arrhythmias, syncope, myocardial infarction, and sudden cardiac death. Given the potential for life-threatening complications in certain cases, the early and accurate diagnosis of coronary artery anomalies is of paramount importance. The most common diagnostic procedures used for the evaluation of coronary vessels are coronary angiography and multi-detector row computed tomography (MDCT) coronary angiography. MDCT angiography is a non-invasive, dependable, safe, and sensitive method for the detailed visualization of coronary anatomy. It offers high-resolution imaging that enables precise assessment of congenital coronary variations, aiding in both clinical decision-making and long-term patient management. We conducted a narrative review to analyze and integrate the body of literature on coronary artery varieties and anomalies. Our objective was to provide a comprehensive, albeit non-exhaustive, overview of essential concepts and findings related to their definition, classification, and detection with MDCT angiography. By integrating current knowledge in MDCT imaging, we seek to contribute to a better understanding of the clinical implications of coronary artery variations and their role in cardiovascular health. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-955e4d6d44a5447bb40d64421ce4b3d2 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1010-660X 1648-9144 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Medicina |
| spelling | doaj-art-955e4d6d44a5447bb40d64421ce4b3d22025-08-20T03:13:32ZengMDPI AGMedicina1010-660X1648-91442025-04-0161476510.3390/medicina61040765The Role of MDCT Coronary Angiography in the Detection of Benign Varieties and Anomalies of Coronary Blood Vessels—A Narrative ReviewAna Mladenovic Markovic0Ana Tomic1Miodrag Nisevic2Biljana Parapid3Nikola Boskovic4Marina Vitas5Miona Jevtovic6Sandra Grujicic7Centre for Radiology and Magnetic Resonance Imaging, University Clinical Centre of Serbia, Pasterova 2, 11000 Belgrade, SerbiaCentre for Radiology and Magnetic Resonance Imaging, University Clinical Centre of Serbia, Pasterova 2, 11000 Belgrade, SerbiaCentre for Radiology and Magnetic Resonance Imaging, University Clinical Centre of Serbia, Pasterova 2, 11000 Belgrade, SerbiaFaculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Dr Subotica Starijeg 8, 11000 Belgrade, SerbiaClinic for Cardiology, University Clinical Centre of Serbia, Pasterova 2, 11000 Belgrade, SerbiaInstitute of Mother and Child Health Care of Serbia “Dr Vukan Čupić”, 11000 Belgrade, SerbiaCentre for Radiology and Magnetic Resonance Imaging, University Clinical Centre of Serbia, Pasterova 2, 11000 Belgrade, SerbiaFaculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Dr Subotica Starijeg 8, 11000 Belgrade, SerbiaCoronary arteries may vary in quantity, point of origin, or course. These variations fall under the category of anatomical variants/anomalies of the coronary arteries, representing congenital abnormalities of the coronary vascular system. Generally, they are benign, asymptomatic, and identified inadvertently during coronary angiography conducted for alternative indications. However, in some cases, the anomaly’s characteristics or its interaction with surrounding structures may cause hemodynamic disturbances. These disturbances can lead to turbulent blood flow, which in turn poses an increased likelihood for the development of atherosclerosis and myocardial ischemia. If symptomatic, potential manifestations include chest pain, arrhythmias, syncope, myocardial infarction, and sudden cardiac death. Given the potential for life-threatening complications in certain cases, the early and accurate diagnosis of coronary artery anomalies is of paramount importance. The most common diagnostic procedures used for the evaluation of coronary vessels are coronary angiography and multi-detector row computed tomography (MDCT) coronary angiography. MDCT angiography is a non-invasive, dependable, safe, and sensitive method for the detailed visualization of coronary anatomy. It offers high-resolution imaging that enables precise assessment of congenital coronary variations, aiding in both clinical decision-making and long-term patient management. We conducted a narrative review to analyze and integrate the body of literature on coronary artery varieties and anomalies. Our objective was to provide a comprehensive, albeit non-exhaustive, overview of essential concepts and findings related to their definition, classification, and detection with MDCT angiography. By integrating current knowledge in MDCT imaging, we seek to contribute to a better understanding of the clinical implications of coronary artery variations and their role in cardiovascular health.https://www.mdpi.com/1648-9144/61/4/765coronary vesselscoronary variationscoronary anomaliesMDCT coronary angiographydiagnosis |
| spellingShingle | Ana Mladenovic Markovic Ana Tomic Miodrag Nisevic Biljana Parapid Nikola Boskovic Marina Vitas Miona Jevtovic Sandra Grujicic The Role of MDCT Coronary Angiography in the Detection of Benign Varieties and Anomalies of Coronary Blood Vessels—A Narrative Review Medicina coronary vessels coronary variations coronary anomalies MDCT coronary angiography diagnosis |
| title | The Role of MDCT Coronary Angiography in the Detection of Benign Varieties and Anomalies of Coronary Blood Vessels—A Narrative Review |
| title_full | The Role of MDCT Coronary Angiography in the Detection of Benign Varieties and Anomalies of Coronary Blood Vessels—A Narrative Review |
| title_fullStr | The Role of MDCT Coronary Angiography in the Detection of Benign Varieties and Anomalies of Coronary Blood Vessels—A Narrative Review |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Role of MDCT Coronary Angiography in the Detection of Benign Varieties and Anomalies of Coronary Blood Vessels—A Narrative Review |
| title_short | The Role of MDCT Coronary Angiography in the Detection of Benign Varieties and Anomalies of Coronary Blood Vessels—A Narrative Review |
| title_sort | role of mdct coronary angiography in the detection of benign varieties and anomalies of coronary blood vessels a narrative review |
| topic | coronary vessels coronary variations coronary anomalies MDCT coronary angiography diagnosis |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1648-9144/61/4/765 |
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