Abstract
BACKGROUND: An anomalous right coronary artery (ARCA) arising from the left sinus of Valsalva is an uncommon congenital anomaly. The unusual location, take-off and intramural courses of ARCA pose a considerable technical challenge during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). AIMS: We sought to report our experience of PCI of ARCA in 35 cases of atherosclerotic occlusion. METHODS: The PCI database of 35 cases of ARCA was retrospectively analysed. The details about demography, clinical presentation, PCI procedure and clinical follow-up were noted. RESULTS: The mean age was 56.7±13.5 years. The clinical presentation included stable angina in 45.7%, unstable angina in 20% and acute myocardial infarction in 34.3% of patients. Vascular access was transradial in 37.1% of cases, transfemoral in 60% of cases, and transbrachial in 1 case (2.9%). Judkins left and Amplatz left were commonly used guide catheters. Two patients with balloon-uncrossable, calcified lesions required rotablation-assisted PCI. Intravascular imaging was performed in 12 patients (34.3%). Optical coherence tomography demonstrated a proximal intramural course in 3 patients, and a slit-like orifice in 4 patients. The mean radiation dose and fluoroscopy time were 877±687.3 mGy and 18.8±11.6 minutes, respectively. Twenty-eight (80%) patients had an asymptomatic median follow-up of 49 (interquartile range: 29.0-97.5) months. CONCLUSIONS: We performed successful PCI in a cohort of 35 patients with ARCA, with favourable long-term clinical outcomes. The selection of an appropriate guide catheter and technical skills were important factors in achieving favourable results.