Thallium-201 myocardial imaging in anomalous left coronary artery arising from the pulmonary artery. Applications before and after medical and surgical treatment.

Thallium-201 myocardial imaging was performed on six patients with an anomalous left coronary artery arising from the pulmonary artery. Initial images in three children (aged 4 months, 12 months and 2 1/2 years, respectively) demonstrated anterolateral perfusion defects in agreement with the electrocardiographic localization of infarction. Repeat imaging in two patients 2 to 3 months later, after clinical improvement with anticongestive therapy, demonstrated a reduction in the perfusion defect. In 3 other patients (aged 16, 16 and 20 years, respectively) thallium-201 scans performed during exercise stress demonstrated normal myocardial perfusion 7 to 15 years after operation (ligation of anomalous left coronary in two, ligation plus bypass graft in one). Thallium-201 imaging appears to be helpful in monitoring changes in myocardial perfusion before and after medical or surgical treatment of an anomalous left coronary artery, and may shed light on the pathophysiology of the defect. A possible practical limitation of thallium-201 imaging in this condition is the difficulty of imaging subendocardial infarction.