Left circumflex coronary artery from the pulmonary artery in scimitar syndrome

BACKGROUND: Scimitar syndrome is a rare combination of cardiopulmonary abnormalities found in 1–3 per 1000 live births. Anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery (ALCAPA) is only found in 1 in 250–400 congenital heart disease patients. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate the incidence of left circumflex ALCAPA within our referral center’s cohort of scimitar syndrome patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A review of medical records, cardiac imaging and operative notes from all patients diagnosed with scimitar syndrome at our center between 1992 and 2016 was undertaken and all imaging reviewed. RESULTS: Fifty-four patients with scimitar syndrome and imaging were identified. Of these, 3 patients (1 male and 2 female) with ALCAPA were identified, representing an incidence of 5.5% (95% confidence interval [CI] 0–11.67%). In all three cases, the anomalous coronary arising from the pulmonary artery was the left circumflex coronary artery (LCx) and the point of origin was close to the pulmonary arterial bifurcation. CONCLUSION: We hypothesize that the prevalence of LCx-ALCAPA, in the setting of scimitar syndrome, may be greater than previously thought. We suggest that any patient with scimitar syndrome, especially with evidence of ischaemia, should be investigated for ALCAPA. Given its noninvasive nature and simultaneous imaging of the lungs, we suggest that cardiovascular CT is the most appropriate first-line investigation for these patients.