Prevalence of dual left anterior descending artery variations in CT angiography.

Purpose: We aimed to evaluate the frequency and features of dual left anterior descending artery (LAD) variants using computed tomography (CT) angiography.

Methods: A total of 1337 consecutive coronary CT angiography examinations performed between April 2010 and December 2013 were retrospectively evaluated for the presence of dual LAD. CT examinations were performed with either 64- or 320-row multidetector CT scanners. All CT angiography images were evaluated for the presence and morphologic features of dual LAD subtypes.

Results: Fifty-six dual LAD variations (4%) were identified in this study population. Type 1 was the most common type of dual LAD (n=48), while Type 3 (n=3) and Type 4 (n=2) were infrequent and Type 2 was not detected. Additionally, we detected previously unclassified dual LAD variations in three cases.

Conclusion: Dual LAD may be a relatively more common variant than described in the medical literature, which is mostly based on catheter angiography studies. Coronary CT angiography seems markedly efficacious for detecting and documenting the anatomical details of dual LAD subtypes, as well as showing other associated cardiocoronary anomalies.