Unusual origin and course of the left pulmonary artery
1Department of Paediatrics, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College School of Medicine, London, United Kingdom.
Abstract:
An infant with a cardiac murmur was found to have a patent arterial duct and an anomalous left pulmonary artery. The duct was surgically ligated at the age of 8 months, and she remained free of cardiac or respiratory symptoms up to her death at 6 years from an unrelated intestinal condition. An anomaly was discovered at post mortem examination; the left pulmonary artery arose from the right pulmonary artery and passed behind the trachea to enter the left lung. We describe and illustrate the anatomic features of this well-recognized entity, discuss the embryological substrate, and refer to the clinical implications.
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