# Inferior wall ST-elevation myocardial infarction in a patient with a single coronary artery from the right coronary cusp trifurcating into the left anterior descending, left circumflex, and right coronary arteries: a rare coronary anomaly, case report

**Authors:** Al-Naser Al Bahlani, Hammad Ur Rehman, Ayman Al Husini, Mubarak Al Dosari

PMC · DOI: 10.1093/ehjcr/ytag163 · European Heart Journal. Case Reports · 2026-03-06

## TL;DR

A 35-year-old man with a rare coronary artery anomaly experienced a heart attack, which was successfully treated with emergency intervention.

## Contribution

This case report presents a rare coronary anomaly with a single artery trifurcating from the right coronary cusp.

## Key findings

- The patient had a single coronary artery from the right coronary cusp trifurcating into three major branches.
- The anomaly did not directly cause the infarction but complicated the treatment process.
- Timely diagnosis and multimodality imaging were crucial for effective management.

## Abstract

Abnormal origin of a coronary artery is a rare congenital condition that can significantly affect clinical outcomes especially when associated with acute coronary syndromes. Among these, the presence of a single coronary artery trifurcating from the right coronary cusp into all major coronary branches is exceptionally rare and poorly represented in the literature.

A 35-year-old man presented with an inferior ST-elevation myocardial infarction. Emergency angiography revealed a single coronary artery arising from the right coronary cusp. The culprit was the right coronary artery. It was effectively treated with intravascular-guided percutaneous coronary intervention, and the remaining coronaries demonstrated normal flow, as shown in subsequent imaging. The patient recovered uneventfully, rehabilitated without complications. He was discharged on guideline directed medical therapy.

Although the anomalous coronary anatomy was not the direct cause of infarction, it introduced significant procedural challenges that could have delayed or compromised revascularization. Our case highlights the importance of recognizing and anticipating coronary anomalies in acute settings. Multimodality imaging and anatomical classification systems help provide timely diagnosis, procedural planning, and risk assessment from a long-term perspective.

## Linked entities

- **Diseases:** myocardial infarction (MONDO:0005068)

## Full-text entities

- **Diseases:** acute inferior STEMI (MESH:D056989), chest pain (MESH:D002637), SCD (MESH:D016757), acute myocardial infarction (MESH:D009203), plaque rupture (MESH:D012421), arrhythmia (MESH:D001145), coronary anomalies (MESH:D003330), congenital anomalies (MESH:D000013), allergies (MESH:D004342), vomiting (MESH:D014839), hypokinesia (MESH:D018476), thrombotic occlusion (MESH:D013927), coronary artery dissection (MESH:C565153), valvular pathology (MESH:D006349), heart failure (MESH:D006333), infarction (MESH:D007238), depression (MESH:D003866), cardiac conditions (MESH:D006331), syncope (MESH:D013575), trauma (MESH:D014947), nausea (MESH:D009325), anomalous coronary arteries (MESH:D000080038), Lipton R-III (MESH:C580424), LCx (MESH:D020244), ACS (MESH:D054058), CAD (MESH:D003324), ST-elevation myocardial infarction (MESH:D000072657), atherosclerotic (MESH:D050197), ischaemia (MESH:D007511), myocardial ischaemia (MESH:D009202), pain (MESH:D010146), stenosis (MESH:D003251), cardiovascular disease (MESH:D002318)
- **Chemicals:** lactate (MESH:D019344), antiplatelet (-), iodixanol (MESH:C044834)
- **Species:** Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606]

## Full text

_Full body text omitted from this summary view._ Fetch the complete paper as Markdown: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC13008288/full.md

## Figures

6 figures with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC13008288/full.md

## References

15 references — full list in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC13008288/full.md

---
Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC13008288