Anomalous origin of the right coronary artery from the pulmonary trunk: is surgical reimplantation into the aorta a method of choice?

The origin of the right coronary artery (RCA) from the pulmonary trunk (PT) is a rare congenital anomaly. Although most of the patients remain asymptomatic, prophylactic reimplantation of the RCA into the aorta has been recommended to prevent an adverse outcome. The report describes postoperative results in two patients following uneventful RCA reimplantation. A 47-year-old man, with coexisting diffuse atherosclerotic involvement of the left coronary artery, remained symptomatic despite the establishment of a two-coronary system. The second patient, a 36-year-old woman, with isolated anomalous origin of the RCA from the PT, continued to present with myocardial ischemia on exertion. The original observation of an angiographic "slow-flow" phenomenon in the reimplanted RCA in both patients implies the impairment of myocardial microvessels. These findings give rise to the question of whether the reimplantation of the anomalous artery is really superior to simple ligation of its origin in order to relieve the "coronary steal" effect.