Anomalous intracavitary right coronary artery shown by cardiac CT: A potential hazard to be aware of before various interventions

Roderick M. Zalamea, MD, Daniel W. Entrikin, MD, Thomas Wannenburg, MD, J. Jeffrey Carr, MD, FACC, FAHA

Abstract. Intracavitary right coronary arteries (RCAs) are uncommon (incidence of 0.09%-0.1%), hav­ing previously been reported nearly exclusively in autopsy series. However, more recently this entity has been detected prospectively by noninvasive cardiac computed tomography. Because many interven­tional procedures, including pacemaker placement and atrial flutter ablation, may be influenced by the presence of an intracavitary RCA, this entity is important to recognize. We report two cases of intra­cavitary right coronary artery discovered prospectively by cardiac computed tomography. In one of these cases, interventional management was altered based on our findings. © 2009 Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography. All rights reserved.