By Brie Ann Muller, MD; Karim A. Diab, MD
Introduction
Aortico-Left Ventricular Tunnel (ALVT) is a rare congenital anomaly, occurring in less than 0.1-0.5% of patients with Congenital Heart Disease, and is usually diagnosed in the postnatal period.1,2 It is comprised of a tunnel-like communication from the ascending aorta to the left ventricle. There have been reported cases of communication with the right ventricle, but these remain much less frequent. Associated coronary anomalies have occasionally been reported as well. Only a few cases of prenatal diagnoses have been previously reported, as this can be a challenging lesion to diagnose in the fetus. However, advancements in fetal imaging are likely to lead to more antenatal diagnosis of ALVT. Of the reported cases with a prenatal diagnosis, only a few have had a favorable outcome after surgery. We report a case of ALVT, that was diagnosed at 26 weeks of gestation and successfully managed surgically in the newborn period.
To read the full article, please go to the March 2017 Issue of CCT, where it was originally published.