• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.38 no.7 s.252
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• pp.501-503
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• 2005

Coronary artery fistula accounts for $0.27\~0.4\%$ of all congenital cardiac defects. In more than $50\%$ of the cases, right coronary artery is involved. The fistula drains into the right heart in $92\%$ of the cases. Left heart is the site of termination in only $8\%$ of the cases, especially less left ventricle $(3\%)$. We experienced a case of right coronary artery to left ventricular fistula in a 3-year-old boy who was diagnosed incidentally and underwent ligation of fistula.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.463-466
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• 2002

We present a case of coronary artery fistula originating from the proximal left anterior descending artery draining into the main pulmonary artery, which was associated with atrial septal defect. The patient was a 56 year old male who was admitted for exertional dyspnea and abdominal distension. Echocardiogram and selective coronary arteriogram revealed a atrial septal defect and fistulous connection. The patient underwent surgery under the cardiopulmonary bypass with fibrillating heart. The pericardial patch closure of atrial septal defect and internal obliteration of the fistula termination site in the main pulmonary artery were performed. Postoperative hospital courses were uneventful without any specific complication and the patient was discharged without problem.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.38 no.9 s.254
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• pp.609-615
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• 2005

Background: Some controversy still exists concerning the operative indications of coronary fistulas. Nevertheless, a short-term and long-term outcomes are excellent with surgical interventions. In this study, we assessed our surgical results on this disease entity during the last 20 years. Anatomic diversity was described as well. Material and Method: From April 1986 to March 2005, 20 patients with coronary fistulas underwent surgical correction in Seoul National University Children's Hospital. Their medical records were reviewed retrospectively. Result: Twelve patients ($60\%$) were asymptomatic prior to surgery. All had electrocardiogram and echocardiogram and all but 3 had coro-nary angiogram preoperatively. Anatomically, none of them had two or more coronary fistulas. The sites of origin were left coronary system in 11 patients and right in 9. The draining sites were right ventricle in 11, right atrium in 3, left ventricle in 3, main pulmonary artery in 2, and superior vena cavae in 1. All of the involved, the coro-nary arteries were dilated or aneurismal. In 1 case, there was atherosclerotic change but no ischemic evidence in preoperative electrocardiogram. Operative techniques included external obliteration (13), internal obliteration (5), and both (2). External obliteration was done by ligation of the fistulous tract only in T patients, by fstula ligation plus plication in 3 and by plication or patch closure via fistulotomy in 3. There was no operative mortality. All of postoperative morbidities including transient sinus arrhythmia (2), complete atrioventricular block (1), decreased left ventricular function (2), ventricular tachycardia (1), pericarditis (1), and seizure (1) improved on discharge. The mean follow-up was 55.1$\pm$50.2 months (4.0 months${\~}$18.0 years) and there were no recurrences of fistula. There was 1 second operation for aortic root aneurysm, which developed after external patch closure of right coronary fistula. Conclusion: We demonstrated here that coronary fistulas can be cured with excellent clinical outcome and low operative risk under precise diagnosis. Understanding the anatomic diversity will help to construct surgical plans.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.296-299
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• 2010

A right coronary artery to left ventricular fistula with a giant right coronary artery aneurysm is a very rare condition. This requires surgical treatment because of the possibility of rupture of aneurysm, heart failure and infective endocarditis. A 47 years old male patient with dyspnea on exertion for 3 months was diagnosed as having a right coronary artery to left ventricular fistula with a giant right coronary artery aneurysm according to the CT and coronary artery angiography. We resected the aneurysm and performed a coronary artery bypass graft.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.38 no.10 s.255
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• pp.699-704
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• 2005

Background: Coronary artery fistula is rare congenital anomaly, which account for $0.27\~0.40\%$ of all congenital heart diseases. We report the clinical observations of 45 patients with coronary artery fistula. Material and Method: We reviewed all patients presented with or without symptoms of coronary artery fistula between 1987 and 2004. Age ranged from 1 to 83 years. Twenty-six patients were female. The patients were divided into 2 groups according to the presenting symptoms. Twelve patients were in group A (asymptomatic) and 33 patients in group B (symptomatic). The most common clinical presentation in group B was angina (18) followed by dyspnea (7), atypical chest pain (5), syncope (1), fatigue (1), and palpitation (1). Twenty-five patients were associated with other cardiac diseases, which were atrial septal defect (4), coronary artery occlusive disease (6), hypertension (12), and valvular heart disease (2). Result: Patients were followed-up for a mean period of $64.8\pm62.7$ months. There was no complication related to coronary artery fistula during the follow-up period in both group. There was no mortality related to coronary artery fistula. Conclusion: In symptomatic patients, early surgical treatment is recommended considering the low perioperative morbidity. In asymptomatic patients receiving medical treatment, close follow up may be necessary.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.34 no.10
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• pp.787-791
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• 2001

Coronary artery aneurysm is a rare disorder. It is defined as abnormal dilatation of coronary artery with diameter exceeding 1.5 times the adjacent normal segments. The incidence of coronary aneurysm is 2.6% in Caucasians and 0.25% in Asians. Over half of the former were associated with atherosclerotic coronary artery disease. However, 70 percents of the latter were nonobstructive coronary artery aneurysms. Coronary artery fistula is a rare disorder. It has been identified in only 0.2% of routine cardiac angiographic studies conducted over a 10-year period. The clinical spectrums are various, asymtomatic, asymptomatic murmur, dyspnea on exertion, fatigue, and congestive heart failure. The right coronary artery (56%) and left coronary artery(36%) are mainly involved in the origin site of congenital coronary artery fistula. The draining site of fistula are right ventricle(39%), right atrium(33%), and pulmonary artery(20%) and so on. This 54 years-old woman had intermittent chest tightness and an abnormal mediastinal shadow on chest roentgenogram and chest C-T examination, which was diagnosed as a mediastinal mass such as teratoma. We performed the operation under left anterolateral thoracotomy for mass excision. However, we knew the mass had the pulsating arterial blood flow through a fine needle puncture of the mass and that it was attached to the left ventricle. We believed the excision of mass on beating heart would be very dangerous. Therefore, we closed the wound without excising the mass. After several days, we performed an echocardiography and coronary angiography, We knew it was cardiac tumor. Incidentally, the patient had a tortuous coronary fistula from the right coronary artery to pulmonary trunk. Using cardiopulmonary bypass with moderate systemic hypothermia, the mass was resected and the fistula was clipped with surgical clips. Pathology of the specimen was a giant coronary arterial aneurysm.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.180-182
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• 1995

Congenital coronary arteriovenous fistulas are uncommon, but well documented lesions. There are two types of congenital coronary arteriovenous fistulas according to drainage sites, the cardiac chambers or the pulmonary trunk. Especially congenital coronary arteriovenous fistula originating from the left coronary artery is rare. Two cases will be described of the two patients in whom fistulas communicating between the right coronary artery and the right atrium, left coronary artery and the main pulmonary artery each other.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.40 no.12
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• pp.851-854
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• 2007

A 76-year-old woman with a history of chest pain and palpitation, was diagnosed with bilateral coronary to pulmonary artery fistulae with a concomitant saccular aneurysm, which is quite rare. Suture closure of the fistular vessels around the pulmonary artery root, the removal of a saccular aneurysm, and the transpulmonary closure of coronary to pulmonary artery fistulae were performed. The patient was well at 4 months after surgery.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.158-161
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• 1990

A congenital coronary artery fistula is an uncommon anomaly which has a direct communication between a coronary artery and the lumen of any one of the four cardiac chambers, or the coronary sinus, or its tributary veins or the superior vena cava. The right coronary artery is involved most frequently, and the abnormal communication in most often is to the right ventricle followed in incidence by drainage into the right atrium and the pulmonary artery. Recently. we experienced a case of congenital coronary artery fistula associated with valvular heart disease. The fistulous communication was noted between the left circumflex artery and the left atrial appendage. Under the cardiopulmonary bypass, the internal obliteration of the left atrial appendage, mitral valve replacement, and aortic valve exploration were accomplished. Postoperative hospital course was uneventful and the patient was discharged without any problems.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.793-797
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• 1987

Coronary artery fistula is an uncommon congenital heart defect that is readily amenable to surgical treatment. This fistula usually originates from the right coronary artery, but may arise from the left coronary artery, both coronary arteries, or single coronary artery. And the fistulous communication is most often to right ventricle, right atrium or pulmonary artery. Recently we experienced one case of congenital coronary artery fistula which was associated with patent ductus arteriosus. The fistulous communication, forming aneurysmal dilatation, was noted between the left anterior descending coronary artery and the right ventricular outflow tract. Cardiopulmonary bypass was employed in this case. After an arteriotomy was made on the aneurysmal coronary artery, both the proximal opening and the termination site of the fistulous tract were directly closed with partial aneurysmorrhaphy. The right ventricular chamber was also opened to evaluate the fistulous termination site. Postoperative hospital course of the patient was uneventful and she was discharged without problems.