Pseudohypoplasia of Right Coronary Artery in a Korean Female Cadaver

TLDR: During a routine dissection course, a pseudohypoplasia in right coronary artery was recognized in an 82-year-old Korean female cadaver who had a common mesenteric trunk and a fibromuscular dysplasia in the left vertebral artery.

Abstract: Stenotic or hypoplastic coronary arteries occupy vital features in the clinical situations. The pseudohypoplasia might be defined as a macroscopic hypoplasia based on the diameter of an artery compared with contralateral artery but is not hypoplasia both anatomically and histopathologically. During a routine dissection course, a pseudohypoplasia in right coronary artery was recognized in an 82-year-old Korean female cadaver who had a common mesenteric trunk and a fibromuscular dysplasia in the left vertebral artery. Although macroscopic hypoplasia was discovered, the right coronary artery had normal anatomical features and the left coronary artery showed atherosclerotic changes on the main trunk. The right coronary artery was misread to have hypoplasia due to atherosclerotic aneurysm on left coronary artery. Since macroscopic hypoplasia in radiological and surgical situations may lead to confusion to interpret its pathophysiology just like this case, the better anatomical knowledge on the coronary artery can help to prevent misleading approaches.