AUTHOR=Rizzo Stefania , De Gaspari Monica , Frescura Carla , Padalino Massimo , Thiene Gaetano , Basso Cristina 

TITLE=Sudden Death and Coronary Artery Anomalies

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine

VOLUME=Volume 8 - 2021

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cardiovascular-medicine/articles/10.3389/fcvm.2021.636589

DOI=10.3389/fcvm.2021.636589

ISSN=2297-055X

ABSTRACT=Congenital coronary artery anomalies (CAA) include a wide spectrum of malformations present at birth with various clinical manifestations and degrees of severity. Patients may be asymptomatic, and CAA are an incidental finding during coronary angiography or at autopsy. However, in other cases, ischemia-related signs and symptoms and arrhythmias leading to an increased risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD), often as the first presentation of the disease, may occur.
In this chapter, we discuss the normal origin and course of the coronary arteries (CA) and the pathology of CAA at risk of SCD, including our experience with victims of SCD among young population (ages <40 years) and athletes.