Anomalous Origin of the Left Coronary Artery from the Pulmonary Artery

Abstract

Anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery has been surgically corrected by means of a technique that avoids direct suturing of the coronary artery itself. The anomalous left coronary artery is removed from the pulmonary artery with a cuff of pulmonary artery tissue about its orifice. In a five-and-one-half-year-old patient the anomalous coronary artery was anastomosed directly to the aorta using this technique. In another patient, seven months of age, the anomalous coronary artery could not be anastomosed directly to the aorta and a segment of the patient's subclavian artery was interposed between the left coronary artery and the aorta to complete the anastomosis. In the latter patient, profound hypothermia and circulatory arrest were used during construction of the anastomosis in an attempt to minimize further myocardial damage. The establishment of a two coronary artery system has been demonstrated to be feasible in the infant or young child with this anomaly.