Aneurysms involving the coronary arteries in a neonate with neurofibromatosis 1

Am J Med Genet A. 2023 Sep;191(9):2422-2427. doi: 10.1002/ajmg.a.63321. Epub 2023 Jun 6.

Abstract

Aneurysmal coronary artery disease (ACAD) has been reported rarely in patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), mostly in adults. We report on a female newborn affected by NF1 with ACAD disclosed during investigation for an abnormal prenatal ultrasound along with a review of the previously reported cases. The proposita had multiple café-au-lait spots and had no cardiac symptoms. Echocardiography, and cardiac computed tomography angiography confirmed aneurysms on the left coronary artery, left anterior descending coronary artery, and of the sinus of Valsalva. Molecular analysis detected the pathogenic variant NM_001042492.3(NF1):c.3943C>T (p.Gln1315*). Literature findings on ACAD in NF1 indicated that this mostly occurs in males, showing predilection for the development of aneurysms at the left anterior descending coronary artery, and manifesting predominantly as acute myocardial infarction, inclusively in teenagers, though it may be also asymptomatic as in our case. This report documents the first case of ACAD in a patient with NF1 diagnosed at birth, emphasizing that its early diagnosis is essential to prevent potential life-threatening events attributable directly to coronary lesions.

Keywords: aneurysm; café-au-lait spots; coronary artery; neurofibromatosis; sinus of Valsalva.

Publication types

  • Review
  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aneurysm*
  • Cafe-au-Lait Spots / pathology
  • Computed Tomography Angiography
  • Coronary Vessels / diagnostic imaging
  • Coronary Vessels / pathology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Male
  • Neurofibromatosis 1* / complications
  • Neurofibromatosis 1* / diagnosis
  • Neurofibromatosis 1* / genetics