Unusual cause of left ventricular dysfunction in a child

Anomalous Origin of the Left Coronary Artery from the Pulmonary Artery is a rare congenital heart disease and a cause of myocardial ischemia during childhood. Most undiagnosed cases die in the first year of life as an extensive collateral network is essential for survival. The diagnosis requires a high index of clinical suspicion. The authors present the case of an 8-year-old black asymptomatic child referred from Cape Verde Island in order to clarify left ventricular dilatation and dysfunction with systo-diastolic turbulent flows observed at the interventricular septum. At the age of 3 months, she was diagnosed with heart failure, in the context of showing dilated cardiomyopathy. She was managed and clinically improved with anticongestive therapy, which she was still taking at the time of admission to our Center. The echocardiogram findings suggested Anomalous Origin of the Left Coronary Artery from the Pulmonary Artery and the diagnosis was confirmed by computerized angiotomography and cardiac catheterization. The patient was successfully submitted to direct implantation of the left coronary artery into the aorta, allowing the creation of a double coronary perfusion system. This case illustrates an unusual presentation of a rare pathology that survived without a diagnosis after the first year of life. It also reinforces the importance of multimodality image screening in these cases.