Coronary artery problems and disease in adults with congenital heart disease: how to evaluate, how to prevent, how to treat.

There are a wide variety of coronary artery anomalies and disease in adults with congenital heart disease (CHD). In fact, the increasing burden of acquired coronary artery disease (CAD) has to be considered in addition to congenital abnormalities of the coronary arteries, isolated or associated to other congenital diseases. This is largely a consequence of the increasing number of patients reaching older age. Due to complex underlying cardiac anatomy, previous surgery and comorbidities, treatment can be challenging. Individualized and multidisciplinary management involving congenital heart cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, coronary interventionists and imaging specialists is essential. This review gives an overview of coronary artery involvement in adults with CHD, summarizes the current literature and focuses on prevention, diagnosis and treatment. The potential role of cardiovascular risk factors for CAD is also discussed.