Inter-ethnic differences in normal coronary anatomy between Caucasian (Polish) and Asian (Korean) populations

Purpose Little is known about ethnic differences in the size of coronary arteries in disease-free individuals. Our aim was to compare coronary artery dimensions between Asian and Caucasian population without atherosclerosis. Methods One hundred and twelve Caucasian patients without any discernible atherosclerosis detected on coronary computed tomography angiography were matched with 112 Asian patients using sex, age, coronary dominance pattern and body surface area (BSA). Maximal and minimal lumen areas (LA) and diameters (LD) of proximal and middle coronary segments were measured, and the mean values were used for analyses. Results Caucasians had larger LA and LD than Asian patients in all proximal coronary segments. Overall, the mean difference in LA and LD was 11.4 % and 5.2 %, respectively. Significant differences were observed for all proximal segments (left anterior descending: 13 % and 6%, left circumflex 14 % and 8% and right coronary artery 8% and 4% for LA and LD), but not for mid segments. The greatest difference between Caucasians and Asians was found in left main coronary artery (LMCA) LA (21.2 ± 6.5 vs.16.8 ± 5.4 mm2, p Conclusion In subjects without atherosclerosis, Asians have smaller dimensions of all proximal coronary arteries, most prominently displayed in LMCA, than the Caucasians regardless of age, sex, or body size.