Prenatal two-and three-dimensional echocardiographic diagnosis of anomalous origin of one pulmonary artery from the ascending aorta: Case report and literature review.

In utero diagnosis of anomalous origin of one pulmonary artery from the ascending aorta (AOPA) has been rarely reported, although this malformation has a high mortality rate due to the rapid development of pulmonary hypertension. We report two cases of AOPA, in which either the left or the right pulmonary artery originated from the distal part of the ascending aorta. Scanning around the three-vessel view to search for the origin of the left and right pulmonary arteries is essential for the diagnosis. In addition, recognition of an abnormal vessel at the three-vessel tracheal view is also useful. Three-dimensional echocardiography with high-definition flow imaging and spatiotemporal image correlation technique facilitates the identification of the anomalous origin of the pulmonary artery and should be considered a complementary modality in fetal cardiac examinations.