Arq Bras Cardiol: Imagem cardiovasc 2021; 34(4): ecom16

My approach to the diagnosis of congenital coronary anomalies by transthoracic echocardiography

DOI: 10.47593/2675-312X/20213403ecom16

Why do we need to assess the anatomy of the coronary arteries?

Until a few decades ago, coronary artery anatomy assessment by echocardiogram (ECHO) was considered a difficult secondary task even if analyzed by other cardiovascular imaging modalities, such as angiography by cardiac catheterization. Important changes in this approach in recent years can be explained by three important aspects:1) The origin and initial course of coronary artery anomalies can be a substrate for ischemia and even sudden death in young adults;^,2) Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is a non-invasive radiation-free low-cost imaging test in the frontline of cardiac assessments;3) The anatomical and functional assessment of coronary arteries is part of a transthoracic test used to diagnose congenital heart diseases.^,

Which congenital coronary artery anomalies are relevant and should be identified?

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