Echocardiographic demonstration of a ventriculocoronary artery communication in a neonate with hypoplastic left heart syndrome.

A neonate diagnosed with aortic atresia and mitral hypoplasia had a ventriculocoronary artery communication demonstrated by use of echocardiography. These communications have been noted by angiography and on pathologic specimens in the past, but their clinical importance in the surgical management of these patients remains unclear. The ability to noninvasively identify these communications and study their flow characteristics would help to define their impact on surgical outcome.