Key result
Right coronary artery hypoplasia is linked to sudden cardiac death as a potentially underdiagnosed cause.
Why the study?
Determining whether hypoplasia of a coronary artery causes or contributes to death is complicated by lack of histologic evidence and coronary artery size data at autopsy, suggesting possible underdiagnosis of this association with sudden cardiac death.
Is right coronary artery hypoplasia associated with sudden cardiac death?
Case Report (n=1)
Is right coronary artery hypoplasia associated with sudden cardiac death?
This case report suggests that right coronary artery hypoplasia may be an underdiagnosed cause of sudden cardiac death rather than a coincidental finding.
Right coronary artery hypoplasia may underlie select sudden cardiac deaths; this Level 5 case leaves the association hypothesis-generating.
Determining whether hypoplasia of a coronary artery has caused or contributed to death is often complicated by an absence of histologic evidence of myocardial ischemia in the area of the heart supplied by the affected artery and also by the lack of data for assessing coronary artery size at autopsy. A 45-year-old woman is reported who collapsed and died and who was found at autopsy to have a dominant, small-caliber, right coronary artery, with acute and chronic ischemic changes in the posterior interventricular septum supplied by the diminutive vessel. This case provides evidence that small-caliber coronary arteries may be associated with a lethal outcome. Given the difficulties that may occur in determining whether there is a causal link between small coronary artery caliber and death, it is possible that this may be an underdiagnosed cause of sudden cardiac death, rather than a coincidental finding of minimal significance.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Wick et al. (2007) conducted a case report in Right coronary artery hypoplasia and sudden cardiac death (n=1). Right coronary artery hypoplasia was evaluated on Sudden cardiac death. Right coronary artery hypoplasia was associated with sudden cardiac death in a 45-year-old woman, suggesting it may be an underdiagnosed cause of lethal outcomes.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: