AUTHOR=Rizzo Stefania , De Gaspari Monica , Frescura Carla , Padalino Massimo , Thiene Gaetano , Basso Cristina TITLE=Sudden Death and Coronary Artery Anomalies JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine VOLUME=8 YEAR=2021 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cardiovascular-medicine/articles/10.3389/fcvm.2021.636589 DOI=10.3389/fcvm.2021.636589 ISSN=2297-055X ABSTRACT=

Congenital coronary artery anomalies (CAA) include a wide spectrum of malformations present at birth with various clinical manifestations and degrees of severity. Patients may be asymptomatic, and CAA may be an incidental finding during cardiac imaging or at autopsy. However, in other cases, ischemia-related signs and symptoms, leading to an increased risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD), often as first presentation may occur. In this chapter, we discuss the normal anatomy of the coronary arteries (CA) and the pathology of CAA at risk of SCD, including our experience with victims of SCD among the young population (age <40 years) and among athletes.