Anomalous Aortic Origin of the Coronary Artery (AAOCA) | Symptoms & Causes
What are the symptoms of AAOCA?
Children may begin to have symptoms at around age 10, when they begin competitive sports or more vigorous exercise. In some cases, the first sign of AAOCA is sudden cardiac arrest.
Symptoms can include:
- Chest pain during exercise
- Dizziness
- Fainting during exercise
- Rapid heartbeat
What are the causes of AAOCA?
AAOCA is a congenital condition that a baby is born with. Experts don’t know what causes it to occur.
Anomalous Aortic Origin of the Coronary Artery (AAOCA) | Diagnosis & Treatments
How is AAOCA diagnosed?
This condition is usually diagnosed with an echocardiogram. Your doctor may confirm the diagnosis with a cardiac MRI or computed tomography angiogram (CTA). Additional testing may include an exercise stress test with stress echo.
How is AAOCA treated?
Your doctor will discuss your treatment options based on your child’s specific diagnosis.
Surgery may involve unroofing (opening up the wall between the coronary and the aorta) of the anomalous coronary artery or taking a button of coronary and repositioning it back into its normal sinus. Sometimes, a combination of these surgeries is used.
Children with AAOCA will need lifelong follow-up care with a cardiologist to make sure the blood flow through the coronary arteries is normal.
How we care for AAOCA
At Boston Children’s Hospital, we have operated on more than 100 children and young adults with AAOCA, with excellent results. In addition, Boston Children’s submits data to the Congenital Heart Surgeon’s Society’s AAOCA registry to help develop protocols for imaging and interpretation of images.
