Anomalous Origin of Left Coronary Artery from Pulmonary Artery (ALCAPA) in an Infant with Bronchiolitis and Dilated Cardiomyopathy

SUM MARY The most common cause of dilated cardiomyopathy (CMP) is viral myocarditis. However, anomalous origin of the left coronary artery is a rare condition that should be evaluated with high suspicion in the differential diagnosis of an infant with dilated CMP. With early surgical correction, an anomalous coronary artery origin has a good prognosis. Awareness of this condition is essential for prompt diagnosis. This article reports a 5 months-old infant with dilated cardiomyopathy in the setting of RSV bronchiolitis. Anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery (ALCAPA) was the final diagnosis in the infant, who presented as viral myocarditis with RSV infection. She was operated successfully with the direct reimplantation of the coronary artery to the aorta. (Jo ur nal of Cur rent Pe di at rics 2013; 11: 142-5)