Work

Anomalous Origin of Left Pulmonary Artery From the Descending Aorta Diagnosed in an Athletic Adult

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Anomalous origin of the left pulmonary artery from the aorta, also named hemitruncus arteriosus, is a rare congenital heart disease associated with high mortality. Patients are usually operated on in the first months of life to avoid irreversible damage caused by pulmonary arterial hypertension. CASE SUMMARY: The authors present a challenging case of an athletic male patient with an anomalous left pulmonary artery originating from the descending aorta that was diagnosed when he was aged 27 years, with severe segmental pulmonary arterial hypertension in the left lung. Following multidisciplinary team meetings, conservative management was chosen. DISCUSSION: Multimodality imaging plays a key role in both diagnosing and managing this birth defect and its potential complications. TAKE-HOME MESSAGE: Management of this extremely rare congenital anomaly in the adult is yet to be fully understood and requires a multidisciplinary team in a tertiary center.

Source: JACC Case Reports

DOI: 10.1016/j.jaccas.2025.103407