Algorithm for diagnosis and typing of ALCAPA syndrome

ALCAPA syndrome was characterized by anomalous origin of left coronary artery from pulmonary artery. Its clinical presentation is varied and although it is an anomaly of congenital origin, it is not exclusive to pediatric ages. Its epidemiological documentation is difficult. We aimed to make the non-invasive diagnosis of the ALCAPA syndrome and its variants. An observational, prospective and cross-sectional study was conducted with 31 patients with a positive echocardiographic diagnosis of ALCAPA syndrome at Pediatric Cardio Center “William Soler” from 2005 to 2018. The variables with significance for diagnosis were the echocardiographic visualization of the anomalous connection and the reversed flow in the left coronary artery. The variables with significance for typing were age at diagnosis, ischemia in the electrocardiogram, echocardiographic visualization of left ventricle papillary muscles fibrosis, presence of severe mitral regurgitation, left ventricle spheroidal remodeling, left ventricle ejection fraction, left ventricular end-diastolic volume index, and left ventricular end-diastolic diameter index. An algorithm integrated by various diagnostic modalities associated with echocardiography as a tool for the detection of ALCAPA was developed. The documentation of the diagnostic and classificatory aspects of the syndrome is possible by detecting echocardiographic elements in conjunction with electrocardiographic and radiological aspects.