Long-Term Outcome and Impact of Surgery on Adults With Coronary Arteries Originating From the Opposite Coronary Cusp

An anomalous coronary artery from the opposite sinus of Valsalva may increase sudden death risk in children and young adults, and surgical intervention is often recommended. The impact of this lesion when recognized in the adult and its management are ill defined. We reviewed 210 700 cardiac catheterizations performed over a 35-year period at a single institution and identified 301 adults with an anomalous coronary artery from the opposite sinus of Valsalva, either anomalous right coronary artery from the left cusp or anomalous left main coronary artery from the right cusp. Patients were stratified by the pathway of the anomalous artery and the chosen treatment. Among the 301 patients with anomalous coronary artery from the opposite sinus of Valsalva (0.14% of the cohort), 79% had anomalous right coronary artery from the left cusp, and 18% had an interarterial course (IAC). Patients with IAC were younger (52±13 versus 59±13 years; P=0.001) and more likely to undergo surgical intervention (52% versus 27%; P