Prevalence of ectasia in human coronary arteries in patients in northern Greece referred for coronary angiography.

We determined the prevalence of coronary artery ectasia (CAE) in patients who were referred to our institution for coronary angiography for any reason and investigated its potential association with angiographically significant coronary artery disease (CAD). We also examined whether CAE and CAD are topographically associated. In 10,524 consecutive patients from January 1, 1995 to December 31, 2003, the corresponding coronary angiographies were analyzed and cases of CAE were identified, recorded, and summarized. CAE was found in 287 patients (2.7%). It was markedly more prevalent in men than in women (p < 0.0001). Younger patients exhibited a higher prevalence of CAE (p < 0.01), and this was confirmed for men (p < 0.05) but not for women. Co-existence with CAD was noted in 250 cases of CAE (87.1%) (p = 0.001). CAD increased remarkably throughout the study (p < 0.001), whereas the prevalence of CAE remained unchanged. The prevalence of CAE was significantly greater in the right coronary artery than in the left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery and the left circumflex artery (p < 0.0001), whereas CAD most commonly affected the LAD (p < 0.0001). Further, CAE in the right coronary artery showed a strong association with the existence of CAD in the LAD (p = 0.015). In conclusion, CAE is more frequent in young men who show a predilection for the right coronary arterial system. Although associated with CAD, a direct causal relation cannot be established.