with the technical assistance ofSandra Barron, B.A.SUMMARY Three young children with anomalous origin of the left coronary artery (LCA) from the pulmonary artery were studied by two-dimensional echocardiograiphy. The LCA was shown to be in confluence with the left posterior aspect of the pulmonary artery root in the two patients studied preoperatively. In one of these patients, and in another patient 2 years after surgery, studied after direct surgical implantation of the LCA to the aorta, the LCA was shown to be confluent with the left anterior aspect of the aortic root. In all, the LCA could be followed beyond the branching point. This study demonstrates the feasibility of noninvasive diagnosis of anomalous origin of the LCA from the pulmonary artery by direct visualization with twodimensional echocardiography.NONINVASIVE VISUALIZATION of the left coronary artery (LCA) by two-dimensional echocardiography has been described in adults,1 2 infants and children.3 6 We examined one infant and two children known to have anomalous origin of the LCA from the pulmonary artery and were able to visualize the origin and course of the LCA before surgery in two and after direct surgical implantation to the aorta in two.
Materials and MethodsThe three patients described below were studied by two-dimensional echocardiography and form the basis of this report.Patient 1 initially presented with respiratory difficulty believed to be due to pneumonia at 3 weeks of age. At 3 months of age she was found to be in congestive heart failure. She had no murmurs, but a loud third heart sound was heard. The ECG was consistent with an anterolateral infarction. The chest x-ray showed cardiac enlargement, and the M-mode echocardiogram revealed a greatly enlarged left ventricle with very poor contraction. Aortography confirmed the diagnosis of anomalous origin of the LCA from the pulmonary artery. One day before surgery, when repeated 3 days and 3 months after direct surgical implantation of the LCA to the aorta by a previously reported technique.7-9 Four months after surgery, the patient was still in chronic heart failure. Patient 2 developed severe respiratory distress and diaphoresis by 2 months of age. On examination, no significant murmur was heard, but the liver was greatly enlarged. The ECG suggested anterolateral infarction, the chest x-ray showed an enlarged heart, and the M-mode echocardiogram showed an enlarged, poorly contracting left ventricle. Aortography showed anomalous origin of the LCA from the pulmonary artery. One day before surgery, when the patient was 9 months old, a two-dimensional echocardiographic study was done. At surgery, the short left main coronary artery could not be mobilized sufficiently to allow direct implantation to the aorta. A Gortex graft was anastomosed end-to-end to the LCA and end-toside to the aortic root to establish antegrade flow from aorta to LCA. The infant could not be successfully removed from cardiopulmonary bypass. At autopsy, the graft was patent. The LCA divided into three major branches ...