Question Title: Congenital Heart

Ten months ago, I had coronary angiography. I was surprised to see that my cornonary arteries were quite dissimilar to images of arteries that I had seen illustrated in numerous publications. If my arteries looked like tree branches, they looked like the branches of an old knarled tree with many twists and knots. Indeed the doctors performing the angiogram had to navigate a "loop" in the artery at the top of the heart into which they inserted the catheter. A few months ago, I had an MRI of the vertebral arteries. The radiologist who read the MRI results suggested that I had a right vertebral artery dissection that healed poorly; however, he noted that he was uncertain of his reading since my artery was "narrow" and "tortuous." I assume that my right vertebral artery has twists and knots similar to my coronary arteries. What causes the arteries to be twisted and knarled ? All things equal, how more likely is a person with "tortuous" arteries to experience either cerebral or cardiac ischemia?
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Dear Joann

Tortuosity of your coronary arteries by itself is unlikely to cause any trouble. This is just the way you were put together. If you also have narrowings of your coronary arteries, or areas of dilatation (abnormal enlargement) then you do have a higher than normal chance of having a heart attack. The same holds true for the cerebral circulation.

I hope this has been useful. Feel free to write back with further questions. Good luck.

Information provided here is of a general nature. Specific diagnoses and treatments can only be made by your doctor. If you would like to be seen at the Cleveland Clinic, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE for an appointment with a cardiologist at Desk F15.

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