Coronary artery aneurysm.
The case is presented of a 28-year-old woman with systemic vasculitis, aortic insufficiency, and an aneurysm of the proximal right coronary artery. More than 100 patients with coronary artery aneurysm have been reported, and this represents the twenty-first case treated surgically. Coronary artery aneurysms occur more frequently than previously realized and are seen in approximately 1.5% of patients with coronary artery disease. In addition to arteriosclerotic aneurysm, other common types of coronary aneurysm include those occurring congenitally or from mycosis, dissection, trauma, vasculitis, or periarteritis nodosa. Because of the risk of thrombosis and rupture, aneurysmectomy and saphenous vein bypass grafting are recommended for all but small, diffuse, or multiple aneurysms or dissecting aneurysms.