Isolated single coronary artery: a review of 50 000 consecutive coronary angiographies

Single coronary artery is a rare congenital anomaly of the coronary arteries where only one coronary artery arises from the aortic trunk by a single coronary ostium, supplying the entire heart. A database consisting of the angiographic reports of 50,000 consecutive coronary angiographies performed in adult patients in the University Hospital of Leuven between March 1973 and August 1991 was searched for the diagnosis of single coronary artery. All films concerned were reviewed and classified according to their anatomical type. Thirty-three cases of single coronary artery were retrieved, yielding an incidence of 0.066%. Patient characteristics and clinical data are described, with a discussion on the pathological importance of this finding.