Anomalous origin of right coronary artery from left anterior descending coronary artery presenting with syncope – a case report

Abstract

Introduction and importance: Non-dominant right coronary artery (RCA) is supposed to be benign as it does not result in large myocardial infarction. Still, in this case, non-dominant RCA from left anterior descending (LAD) artery not only produces ischemia but also results in incessant ventricular tachycardia, which is a life-threatening arrhythmia because of compromised blood flow. However, RCA is free of atherosclerotic plaque, which is the main cause of ischemia/infarction and subsequent arrhythmia. Case presentation: A 21-year-old male was admitted to the emergency cardiology ward of the National Institute of Cardiology following an episode of syncope. The patient reported a sudden loss of consciousness without preceding symptoms. Clinical discussion: The present case highlights the importance of a comprehensive evaluation and diagnosis in the management of syncope in young patients. The case presented here revealed a rare finding of a single coronary artery with a left main origin and an anomalous RCA emerging from the LAD artery. This is a very unusual presentation, with less than 50 occurrences recorded in the medical literature. This abnormality is classified as a single coronary artery anomaly (CAA), which means that the coronary arteries arise from a single coronary ostium within the aorta. Conclusion: In conclusion, CAA is an uncommon cause of SCA that can easily be overlooked without a systematic approach. In this report, we discuss the case of a patient who was discovered to have an anomalous RCA that branched off from the LAD artery.