Single coronary artery. Analysis of the anatomic variation, clinical importance, and report of five cases

Abstract

Two of five cases of single coronary artery had additional cardiac anomalies. A review of the literature yielded 159 cases, 41% of which had additional cardiac anomalies. The presence of a single coronary artery without other cardiac defects (59%) was usually an innocuous finding. However, a small group of 13 cases without other anomalies were associated with sudden death or cardiomyopathy in young adulthood or childhood. Hence, we think that the presence of this anomaly is of prognostic importance, and that interest in it should be maintained. (<i>JAMA</i>230:243-246, 1974)