Coronary artery anomalies: what are they? when to suspect? how to treat?-a narrative review.

Abstract

Background and objective: In the literature have been widely discussed different classification criteria for coronary artery anomalies (CAAs), some authors have tried to categorize them only as "major" or "hemodynamically significant" anomalies versus "minor" or "not hemodynamically significant" ones. However, the most recent literature has concluded that all possible coronary anatomy should be taken into consideration in a comprehensive classification of CAAs. The aim of the article is to review the most recent literature regarding CAAs to provide a comprehensive overview of this challenging topic.

Methods: We propose a narrative overview of the most impactful and recent literature, synthetizing and re-elaborating the most important articles concerning CAAs.

Key content and findings: The important gap of knowledge on the specific characteristics of CAAs has led to a progressively increased interest of the current research in this field. Albeit their nature is still unclear, an increased awareness of their fatality is spreading among clinicians and the general population, mostly associated with their clinical relevance among young patients and athletes. On the other side, we do believe that clinical and hemodynamic repercussions are of crucial importance and should always be integrated to understand the true nature of this important pathology.

Conclusions: In the field of pediatric cardiology, CAAs are one of the most fascinating and studied subject. We propose a state-of-the art review to provide a comprehensive and systematic description and subsequently an approach to the epidemiological, pathophysiological, and clinical aspects of the most important CAAs in the pediatric population.