Anomalous Left Coronary Artery From the Pulmonary Artery 

  • Author: Mary C Mancini, MD, PhD; Chief Editor: Steven R Neish, MD, SM   more...
 
Updated: Dec 1, 2011
 

Background

Anomalous origin of the left coronary artery arising from the pulmonary artery (ALCAPA) is a rare but serious congenital anomaly.

ALCAPA was first described in 1866. The first clinical description in conjunction with autopsy findings was described by Bland and colleagues in 1933, so the anomaly is also called Bland-White-Garland syndrome.[1] By 1962, Fontana and Edwards reported a series of 58 postmortem specimens that demonstrated that most patients had died at a young age.[2]

Presently, the prognosis for patients with ALCAPA is dramatically improved as a result of both early diagnosis using echocardiography with color flow mapping and improvements in surgical techniques, including myocardial preservation.

The ALCAPA anomaly may result from (1) abnormal septation of the conotruncus into the aorta and pulmonary artery, or from (2) persistence of the pulmonary buds together with involution of the aortic buds that eventually form the coronary arteries.

ALCAPA is usually an isolated cardiac anomaly but, in rare incidences, has been described with patent ductus arteriosus, ventricular septal defect, tetralogy of Fallot, and coarctation of the aorta. Extremely rare variations of anomalous origin of the coronary arteries from the main pulmonary artery include the following:

  • The left anterior descending or circumflex branches
  • The right coronary, often discovered as an incidental finding on autopsy
  • Both the right and left coronary arteries, a circumstance not compatible with survival
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Pathophysiology

ALCAPA does not present prenatally because of the favorable fetal physiology that includes (1) equivalent pressures in the main pulmonary artery and aorta secondary to a nonrestrictive patent ductus arteriosus, and (2) relatively equivalent oxygen concentrations due to parallel circulations.

This results in normal myocardial perfusion and, therefore, no stimulus for collateral vessel formation between the right and left coronary artery systems is present. Shortly after birth, as the circulation becomes one in series, pulmonary artery pressure and resistance decrease, as does oxygen content of pulmonary blood flow. This results in the left ventricular myocardium being perfused by relatively desaturated blood under low pressure, leading to myocardial ischemia.

Initially, myocardial ischemia is transient, occurring during periods of increased myocardial demands, such as when the infant is feeding and crying. Further increases in myocardial oxygen consumption lead to infarction of the anterolateral left ventricular free wall. This often causes mitral valve papillary muscle dysfunction and variable degrees of mitral insufficiency.

Collateral circulation between the right and left coronary systems ensues. Left coronary artery flow reverses and enters the pulmonic trunk due to the low pulmonary vascular resistance (coronary steal phenomena). As a result, left ventricular myocardium remains underperfused. Consequently, the combination of left ventricular dysfunction and significant mitral valve insufficiency leads to congestive heart failure (CHF) symptoms (eg, tachypnea, poor feeding, irritability, diaphoresis) in the young infant. Inadequate myocardial perfusion likely causes significant chest pain and these symptoms of myocardial ischemia may be misinterpreted as routine infantile colic.[3]

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Epidemiology

Frequency

United States

ALCAPA is a rare, congenital cardiac anomaly accounting for approximately 0.25-0.5% of all congenital heart disease. The incidence of ALCAPA does not vary geographically. ALCAPA is not considered an inheritable congenital cardiac defect. No risk factors for the occurrence of ALCAPA in any individual family are known, and ALCAPA is not associated with any syndromes or noncardiac conditions.

Mortality/Morbidity

Left untreated, the mortality rate in the first year of life is 90% secondary to myocardial ischemia or infarction and mitral valve insufficiency leading to CHF. Sudden death may occur because of inadequate collateral circulation between the left and right coronary artery systems.

Race

No predilection is known.

Sex

Occurrence is generally similar between males and females and is not considered an inheritable congenital cardiac defect.

Age

Approximately 85% of patients present with clinical symptoms of CHF within the first 1-2 months of life. In unusual cases, the clinical presentation with symptoms of myocardial ischemia may be delayed into early childhood. Rarely, a patient may stabilize following infarction and present with mitral valve regurgitation later in childhood or even adulthood.

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Contributor Information and Disclosures
Author

Mary C Mancini, MD, PhD  Professor and Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Louisiana State University School of Medicine in Shreveport

Mary C Mancini, MD, PhD is a member of the following medical societies: American Association for Thoracic Surgery, American College of Surgeons, American Surgical Association, Phi Beta Kappa, Society of Thoracic Surgeons, and Southern Surgical Association

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Coauthor(s)

Howard S Weber, MD, FAAP, FACC, FSCAI  Professor, Assistant Chief, Section of Pediatric Cardiology, Penn State University School of Medicine; Director, Pediatric Catheterization Laboratory, Milton S Hershey Medical Center

Howard S Weber, MD, FAAP, FACC, FSCAI is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Cardiology, and Society for Cardiac Angiography and Interventions

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Specialty Editor Board

Paul M Seib, MD  Associate Professor of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences; Medical Director, Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, Co-Medical Director, Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit, Arkansas Children's Hospital

Paul M Seib, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, Arkansas Medical Society, International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation, and Society for Cardiac Angiography and Interventions

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Mary L Windle, PharmD  Adjunct Associate Professor, University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Pharmacy; Editor-in-Chief, Medscape Drug Reference

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Alvin J Chin, MD  Professor of Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine; Attending Physician, Cardiology Division, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Alvin J Chin, MD, is a member of the following medical societies: American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Heart Association, and Society for Developmental Biology

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Gilbert Z Herzberg, MD  Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Section of Pediatric Cardiology, New York Medical College; Consulting Staff, Department of Pediatrics, Sound Shore Medical Center

Gilbert Z Herzberg, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Pediatrics

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Steven R Neish, MD, SM  Director of Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship Program, Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine

Steven R Neish, MD, SM is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Cardiology, and American Heart Association

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

References

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Preoperative electrocardiogram in a 2-month-old infant with anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery demonstrating pathologic Q waves in leads I and aVL and diffuse ST-T wave changes consistent with an anterolateral infarction.
Electrocardiogram in 2-month-old infant with anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery 17 months following successful surgical revascularization, demonstrating complete resolution of the anterolateral infarction pattern and ST-T wave changes.
Two-dimensional echocardiographic image (parasternal short axis view) in a patient with anomalous origin of the left coronary artery arising from the pulmonary artery (ALCAPA). The left coronary artery (white arrow) appears to course towards the main pulmonary artery (MPA) just above the pulmonary valve and not to the aortic root (Ao). RV = Right ventricle.
Two-dimensional echocardiographic image with color flow mapping (parasternal short axis view) in the same patient with anomalous origin of the left coronary artery arising from the pulmonary artery (ALCAPA). The addition of color flow mapping to the 2-dimensional image demonstrates abnormal flow reversal within the left coronary artery (white arrows) towards the main pulmonary artery (MPA) just above the pulmonary valve. RV = Right ventricle. Ao = Aortic root.
Doppler interrogation of the abnormal color flow jet is depicted, demonstrating abnormal flow within the main pulmonary artery towards the transducer in diastole, which represents runoff from the anomalous left coronary artery (large white arrowhead). Small white arrow: Normal antegrade main pulmonary artery flow in systole. MPA = Main pulmonary artery.
Aortogram in a patient with suspected anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery (ALCAPA). Frontal (left panel) and lateral (right panel) images demonstrating an enlarged right coronary artery (small white arrow), which fills a small left coronary system (solid arrow head) via collaterals with eventual faint opacification of the main pulmonary artery (not demonstrated in this frame).
Main pulmonary artery angiogram demonstrating the technique of stop flow angiography. There is retrograde opacification of the entire left coronary artery system, which originates from the distal main pulmonary artery (MPA), including the anterior descending (solid white arrowhead) and circumflex (small white arrow) branches. Left panel: Frontal image. Right panel: Lateral image.
 
 
 
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