title: A 72 year old woman with ALCAPA.
abstract: ALCAPA syndrome (anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery), which causes the left coronary artery to grow with an anomalous origin from the pulmonary artery, is a rare disease which may result in myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, and sometimes death during the early infantile period. A 72 year old woman with ALCAPA syndrome is presented. The asymptomatic patient presented with a cardiac murmur which was discovered during a routine check up for a gynaecological intervention. Coronary cineangiography established the diagnosis. Although surgical correction is the usual treatment for such cases, medical treatment was preferred for this patient because she was asymptomatic without clinical signs of heart failure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, University Hospital Gasthuisberg, Herestraat 49, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fierens
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Budts
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Denef
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Van De Werf
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D017023:Coronary Angiography / Q000379:methods; D003330:Coronary Vessel Anomalies / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006337:Heart Murmurs / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography / Q000379:methods; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000002:abnormalities*