Anomalous left coronary artery from pulmonary artery (ALCAPA) is a rare congenital heart disease which can induce heart failure in the early period and finally results in death. Surgery is the only way to correct the malformation. Surgical advances and heart assist devices such as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) widespreadly used recently achieve good clinical outcome. However, there exists a dispute about the indications and pattern of operation. The outcome of long-term follow-up is not good. This article reviewed the researches about ALCAPA in terms of operative pattern, the operative pattern and long-term complications.
Objective To review the experience of the surgical treatment of adult patients with anomalous left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery (ALCAPA). Methods A retrospective, single institution review was conducted on thirty-six adult patients with ALCAPA surgical treatment from November 1991 to November 2017 in Fuwai Hospital. Of these patients, nine were males and twenty-seven were females. The mean age was 36.6±13.3 years. The mean weight was 60.0±9.4 kg. The preoperative echocardiography showed the mean left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was 57%±6% and the mean left ventricular end-diastolic dimension (LVEDD) was 52.3±6.3 mm. Severe mitral regurgitation (MR) was seen in one patient, moderate in five patients. The operative procedures included coronary artery re-implantation in seventeen patients, Takeuchi operation in sixteen patients, ligation of left coronary artery plus coronary artery bypass graft in three patients. In addition, six patients underwent mitral valve repair. Results There was no in-hospital mortality. The mean cardiopulmonary bypass time was 152.5±72.9 min and aortic cross clamp time was 101.9±43.6 min, respectively. The mean mechanical ventilation time and ICU time was 17.3±16.3 h and 43.1±30.7 h, respectively. The mean postoperative LVEF was 59%±6%, which did not significantly improve compared with preoperative LVEF. However, the mean postoperative LVEDD of 46.9±5.9 mm had significant reduction compared with the preoperative LVEDD. Of the six patients with mitral valve repair, one was mild and the other five were trivial. Thirty-five patients (97.2%) completed the follow-up with a mean time of 5.5 years. All the patients survived with New York Heart Association class Ⅰor Ⅱ. Two patients needed interventional occlusion or re-operation due to the fistula of internal tunnel within the pulmonary artery. At the latest echocardiography, the mean LVEF of 69%±7% improved significantly compared with the preoperative LVEF. Mild MR was detected in ten patients, moderate in two patients during the follow-up period. Conclusion The surgical treatment of adult patients with ALCAPA has satisfactory short- and long-term results. The patients who underwent Takeuchi procedure may need re-operation due to fistula of internal tunnel within the pulmonary artery during the long-term follow-up.