title: Usefulness of multidetector-row computed tomography in diagnosis of anomalous origin of left coronary artery arising from the pulmonary artery.
abstract: Anomalous origin of the left coronary artery arising from the pulmonary artery (ALCAPA) is a rare congenital heart defect that affects approximately 1 in 300,000 live births and accounts for 0.5% of all congenital heart disease. Without surgical intervention, most patients with this anomaly die in infancy. The diagnosis of ALCAPA syndrome is sometimes difficult, especially in children, because it often presents with atypical symptoms and signs. Echocardiography can yield some findings that are highly indicative of this syndrome. Cardiac catheterization usually establishes the diagnosis, but it is invasive and painful. Multidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT) is a valuable alternative tool to confirm the diagnosis of ALCAPA syndrome. In this report, we describe a 24-year-old woman with a dilated right coronary artery detected by transthoracic echocardiography, showing an interventricular abnormal flow over the diastolic phase of the cardiac cycle and the left main coronary artery not merging with the ascending aorta. The diagnosis of ALCAPA syndrome was confirmed by MDCT.
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Center, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, #160 Section 3 Taichung-Kang Road, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chieh-Shou
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: I-Chen
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: Wei-Wen
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Fang-Yi
authors.initials: FY
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Chih-Tai
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Ting
authors.forename: Kuo-Yang
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003330:Coronary Vessel Anomalies / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D013577:Syndrome; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult