Coronary Artery Aneurysms and Ectasia: Mechanisms, Imaging, and Clinical Management

Coronary artery aneurysms and coronary artery ectasia (CAAE) represent uncommon yet clinically important coronary phenotypes characterized by abnormal vessel dilatation, altered coronary flow, and a propensity for thrombosis, embolization, vasospasm, and ischemic events. Although CAAE is often detected incidentally during coronary angiography or coronary CT, it is increasingly recognized as a distinct disease spectrum that intersects with atherosclerosis, inflammatory and immune mediated disorders, connective tissue disease, and iatrogenic causes. Key uncertainties remain regarding standardized definitions, phenotyping, and the relationship between anatomic patterns of dilatation and clinical risk, which contributes to variable management across centers and patient populations.This Research Topic aims to clarify the mechanisms, natural history, and prognostic implications of CAAE, and to advance practical approaches to diagnosis and treatment. By integrating insights from imaging, hemodynamics, biomarkers, pathology, and clinical outcomes, the collection seeks to move the field toward harmonized classification and risk stratification, and to identify targets for individualized therapy, including optimized antithrombotic strategies and interventional or surgical decision making.We welcome submissions spanning basic, translational, and clinical research, including original research, brief reports, systematic reviews, meta analyses, narrative reviews, methods papers, and well documented case series where they provide generalizable insights. Topics of interest include:• Definitions, nomenclature, and phenotypic classification of CAAE;• Etiology and pathobiology (atherosclerotic, inflammatory, genetic, iatrogenic);• Imaging and functional assessment (angiography, CT, MRI, intravascular imaging, flow metrics);• Clinical outcomes and risk prediction (thrombosis, MI, arrhythmia, rupture, microvascular ischemia);• Medical therapy (antiplatelet and anticoagulant approaches, anti inflammatory strategies);• Interventional and surgical management (device selection, technical strategies, follow up);• Registries, trial design, and consensus pathways to standardize care. Topic editors: Konrad Stępień, Sylwia Iwańczyk Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/79012/coronary-artery-aneurysms-and-ectasia-mechanisms-imaging-and-clinical-management