Summary
Anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery
(ALCAPA) is considered a rare and very fatal congenital coronary artery
anomaly. It is estimated that this congenital abnormality affects 1 of
every 300,000 live births and accounts for 0.25% of all congenital
heart defects worldwide. ALCAPA manifests itself most commonly in infant
population and it has a 1-year mortality rate of approximately 90%,
therefore it is not often considered a diagnosis in the adult population
(4, 5). When it presents in adult it is considered an important cause of
sudden cardiac death (1, 2). We describe a patient in whom this anomaly
was diagnosed during cardiac catheterization for evaluation of
progressive shortness of breath and mild to moderate mitral
regurgitation founded on a transthoracic echocardiogram (3).