Rare, but clinically significant cases of abnormalities of coronary arteries: "pathological valves".

The most commonly occurring pathology of carotid arteries (CAs) is an atherosclerotic stenosing lesion thereof (accounting for up to 80% of all cases), to be immediately followed by pathological tortuosity of carotid arteries. Of much less frequent occurrence are vasculitides, vasculopathies and thrombotic lesions [1-4]. The authors revealed rarely encountered, yet clinically significant abnormalities of the CA structure, which we called "pathological valves" (PVs).

[Clinically significant anomalies of the carotid arteries].

During 2002-2010 years the authors made more than 14 thousand USDS of the brachycephalic zone arteries. In 32 cases (32 men and 8 women) there were disturbances of blood flow due to local intima dysplasia (hyperplasia) in the zone of bifurcation of the common carotid artery by the detected "pathological valve". Alterations in the bifurcation of the common carotid artery were confirmed by angiographic investigation.