Determination of the prevalence of coronary artery anomalies and variations detected by coronary CT angiography in the Trakya Region

Identifying coronary artery anomalies and variants is of great importance, as certain anomalies may pose serious clinical risks—including myocardial ischemia, malignant arrhythmias, and, particularly in cases of coronary arteries arising from the pulmonary artery, sudden cardiac death. Moreover, the course of anomalous vessels and their relationship with adjacent structures can influence therapeutic decision-making; therefore, accurate anatomical characterization is essential for appropriate clinical management and surgical planning. In coronary computed tomography angiography studies, the reported prevalence of coronary artery anomalies ranges between 2–7.9%, partly due to the inclusion of variants such as myocardial bridging. In recent years, coronary computed tomography angiography has become widely used in the evaluation of coronary artery pathology owing to its non-invasive nature, rapid acquisition, multiplanar reconstruction capability, and superior anatomical delineation compared with conventional coronary angiography. In this retrospective thesis study, approved by the institutional ethics committee, a total of 3364 coronary computed tomography angiography examinations performed in the Department of Radiology at Trakya University Faculty of Medicine between 01.01.2019 and 31.12.2022 were evaluated. Coronary artery variants and anomalies were systematically classified, and the overall prevalence of anomalies in the study population was found to be 2.5%. This study provides additional data regarding the coexistence tendencies of certain anomalies and variants, thereby contributing to the existing literature and offering a reference dataset for both clinical practice and future research. Keywords: Coronary vessels, radiology, coronary vessel anomaly, myocardial bridging