Total anomalous origin of the coronary circulation from the right pulmonary artery

Aorta Without Coronary Arteries: Anatomic Variants of a Rare Malformation

Absence of connection of both coronary arteries to the aorta is an extremely rare congenital malformation. Most cases reported are anatomic variants of anomalous left coronary artery to pulmonary artery, found in isolation or in association with other congenital heart defects. We describe here four cases of patients born without any coronary artery connected to the aorta, including two with an almost complete absence of epicardial coronary arteries, one with single coronary artery to the right pulmonary artery, and one with left ventricular connection of a single coronary artery. Those exceptional coronary malformations have a poor prognosis and are often diagnosed at autopsy. Total absence of epicardial coronary arteries, present in two of our patients and described only once in the literature, leads us to reconsider current knowledge of human coronary artery development.

Surgical management of anomalous origin of coronary artery from pulmonary artery

Background

Anomalous origin of coronary artery from pulmonary artery (AOCAPA), as is evident from the name, is defined as abnormal origin of either coronary artery from the pulmonary artery. The consequences vary in most cases and these anomalies lead to severe coronary hypo-perfusion and ventricular dysfunction. The common variants of this cardiac malformation are an anomalous origin of a left coronary artery from a pulmonary artery (ALCAPA) and anomalous origin of the right coronary artery from a pulmonary artery (ARCAPA). Another rare variant is left main coronary artery atresia that resembles ALCAPA in its mode of presentation. This article presents a single surgeon experience of managing this complex subset of the coronary anomaly from April 2006 to July 2019.

Material and methods

The 105 patients, who underwent surgery for AOCAPA from April 2006 to July 2019, have been included in the study. The patients have been analysed by follow-up echocardiography and electrocardiography (ECG) at our hospital by paediatric cardiologists. Out of 105 patients of AOCAPA, 98 (93.3%) patients underwent ALCAPA repair, of which 59 (60.2%) were males and 39 (39.7%) were females. Four out of five patients, who had an anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the right pulmonary artery (ALCARPA), had an intramural aortic course. Three patients (3%) had left main coronary artery atresia and four patients (4%) had ARCAPA. It may be mentioned that seven infants (7.14%) and one adult patient (1%) underwent concomitant mitral valve repair. All the patients with ALCAPA, left main coronary artery atresia and ARCAPA, and 1 of the patients with ALCARPA, underwent coronary relocation. In four out of five patients with ALCARPA, unroofing of intra-aortic intramural course was performed.

Results

Out of 105 patients of AOCAPA, 9 (8.5%) patients had in-hospital mortality. Five infants (5.0%) with ALCAPA and one patient (1%) with ALCARPA died in the post-operative period due to severe left ventricular dysfunction, mitral regurgitation (MR) and sepsis. One adult patient (1%) with ALCAPA, who underwent coronary relocation using in situ trap door technique and mitral valve (MV) repair, died due to massive intracranial bleeding. Two patients out of three (66.6%) with left main coronary atresia died in intensive care unit (ICU) after 3rd and 4th postoperative day, due to low cardiac output, severe ventricular dysfunction and severe MR. Patients were followed up for a median 5.9 years. Seven patients were lost to follow-up, including the sole survivor of left main coronary atresia, after a median follow-up of 4 years after surgery. Three patients underwent mitral valve replacement for progressive residual MR. There has been no late mortality.

Conclusion

AOCAPA is a rare congenital cardiac anomaly, which usually presents in infancy with left ventricular dysfunction and mitral valve regurgitation. Early diagnosis and surgical re-establishment of the dual coronary system has given gratifying results, with improvement in left ventricular function in survivors. Mitral valve intervention for MR was required, in both early and late phases.

Anomalous origin of a single coronary artery from the pulmonary artery associated with patent ductus arteriosus

We report an unusual case of a 12-month-old boy diagnosed with anomalous origin of a single coronary artery from the pulmonary artery associated with patent ductus arteriosus. The patient survival was attributed to left-to-right shunt (patent ductus arteriosus) allowing for appropriate myocardial perfusion. Successful surgical correction involved patent ductus arteriosus closure, mitral annuloplasty and reimplantation of the coronary artery into the aortic root.

Myocardial Infarction in Neonates: A Review of an Entity with Significant Morbidity and Mortality

Coronary artery disease is a global problem with high mortality rates and significant residual sequelae that affect long-term quality of life. Myocardial infarction (MI) in neonates is a recognized, uncommon entity, but the incidence and broad spectrum of the disease is unknown and likely underestimated due to limited reporting which in the majority is confined to acute ischemic events. The challenges involve clinical diagnosis which masquerades in the early phase as non-specific symptoms and signs that are commonly found in a host of neonatal disorders. Precise diagnostic criteria for neonatal MI are lacking, and management is driven by clinical presentation and hemodynamic stabilization rather than an attempt to rapidly establish the root cause of the condition. We conducted a review of the published reports of neonatal MI from 2000 to 2014, to establish an approach to the diagnosis and management based on the existing evidence. The overall evidence from 32 scientific articles stemmed from case reports and case series which were graded as low-to-very low quality. Neonatal MI resembles childhood and adult MI with features that involve characteristic ECG changes, raised biomarkers, and diagnostic imaging, but with lack of robust, standardized criteria to facilitate prompt diagnosis and timely intervention. The mortality rate of neonatal MI ranges from 40 to 50% based on inclusion criteria, but the short-term data reflect normal quality of life in survivors. An algorithm for the diagnosis and management of neonatal MI may optimize outcomes, but at the present time is based on limited evidence. Well-designed clinical studies focusing on the definition, diagnosis, and management of neonatal MI, backed by international consensus guidelines, are needed to alter the prognosis of this serious condition.

A Rare Anomaly of a Single Coronary Artery Arising From the Right Pulmonary Artery in a Neonate

An anomalous origin of the entire coronary circulation from the right pulmonary artery is a very rare congenital malformation. We report on a male newborn presenting with hypoplastic aortic arch and coarctation of the aorta in whom a previously undetected single coronary artery originating from the right pulmonary artery was detected at the time of corrective surgery. The patient underwent a resection of the coarctation with a patch enlargement of the aortic arch and a successful reimplantation of the coronary artery into the aorta.

Sudden coronary death in children

Coronary disease is an uncommon cause of severe morbidity and death in the young. The great majority of lesions are congenital, and anomalous origins and courses of the coronary arteries are the most common groups of diseases in the age group. Intimal proliferation and coronary arteritis are even less common causes of death in this age population. For this review, we retrospectively studied cases of coronary cardiac death in children and adolescents, from 2004 to 2007, from a statewide medical examiner's office. There were 197 natural deaths in children ages ≤16 years and 58 deaths from sudden infant death syndrome. Of these, the largest group of deaths showed no morphologic abnormalities and was attributed to arrhythmias. The next largest group of deaths comprised complex congenital heart disease (n=13; 20%), followed by myocarditis (n=11; 17%), coronary disease (n=9; 14%), cardiomyopathy (n=8; 12%), valve disease (n=4; 6%), and cardiac fibroma (n=1). Nine coronary deaths occurred in seven boys and two girls, ranging from 14 days to 16 years of age (mean, 8 years). An anomalous course of the coronaries was seen in seven of the nine coronary deaths, and the other two casualties were examples of intimal proliferations involving the coronaries. The rare examples of coronary lesions in the young are discussed in this article.