Screening of coronary artery anomalies in 11,707 patients reveals that the radial approach is safe for cannulating coronary anomalies.

Objective: This study evaluated the transradial approach for its ability to diagnose coronary artery anomalies, its requirement for catheter usage, the number of images obtained and fluoroscopy time required.

Patients And Methods: A total of 11,707 patients' coronary angiograph reports from January 2009 to January 2016 were evaluated with 179 patients identified as having coronary artery anomalies. Subsequent analyses compared patients' access sites with multiple angiographic parameters, including the number of images obtained, catheters used, and the fluoroscopy time required. RESULTSesults: The frequency of coronary artery anomalies identified by angiographies was 0.015%. Coronary anomalies were detected by transradial access (TRA) in 133 patients and by transfemoral access (TFA) in 46 patients. The most common anomaly was in the right coronary artery originating from the left sinus Valsalva (71 patients; 39.2%). The fluoroscopy times required and the number of catheters used was similar between the TRA and TFA groups (p = 0.887 and 0.302, respectively) while the number of images obtained during coronary angiographies was higher in the TFA group (p = 0.021).

Conclusions: TRA is safe and effective for cannulation and the diagnosis of congenital coronary artery anomalies.