Left circumflex coronary artery-to-left atrium fistulas detected by transesophageal echocardiography in heart transplant recipients

Coronary-cameral fistulas in adults: Acquired types (second of two parts)

Acquired coronary artery fistulas (CCFs) are infrequently detected during conventional coronary angiography. To delineate the characteristics of congenital (first part) and acquired (second part) CCFs in adults, a PubMed search was conducted for papers dealing with congenital or acquired CCFs. None of the publications describing patients with coronary-vascular fistulas were included. Papers dealing with pediatric subjects were excluded. From the world literature, a total of 243 adult patients were selected who had congenital (n = 159/243, 65%) and acquired (n = 84/243, 35%) CCFs. Among the acquired types (n = 72, 85.7%) were traumatic (iatrogenic (n = 65/72, 90%), accidental (n = 7/72, 10%) and (n = 12, 14.3%) spontaneously developing in relation to severe coronary atherosclerosis or myocardial infarction. A high incidence of spontaneous resolution of iatrogenic CCFs resulting from endomyocardial biopsy or following post-septal myectomy was reported. Spontaneous CCFs associated with myocardial ischemia or infarction resolved completely in 8% of the subjects. Early surgical intervention was the treatment of choice in acquired traumatic accidental CCFs. The congenital types are addressed in a previous issue of this journal (first part). In this review (second of two parts, part II), we describe the acquired coronary-cameral fistulas.

Coronary-cameral fistulas in adults (first of two parts)

This is a case series and review of the literature adding 11 new cases. Coronary-cameral fistulas (CCFs) are infrequent anomalies which are in general co-incidentally found during diagnostic coronary angiography (CAG). To delineate the characteristics of congenital and acquired CCFs in adults, we performed a PubMed search for papers dealing with congenital or acquired CCFs in adults. Publications on coronary-vascular fistulas or paediatric subjects were not included. From the world literature, a total of 243 adult patients were identified who had congenital (65%) or acquired (35%) CCFs. In this review, which is part one of a two-part series on CCFs, we describe and discuss the congenital fistulas, give an overview on the published literature and report details of our own series of 11 patients with MMFs and solitary macro CCFs. Of the congenital group, 85% were small or large solitary macro CCFs (cut-off 1.5 mm) and 15% were coronary artery-ventricular multiple micro-fistulas (MMFs). Apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy was reported in some of the reviewed subjects with MMFs (3/24 = 13%) but not was seen in our own series. Conservative medical management was generally the treatment of choice in congenital MMFs; prophylactic implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) were implanted in 2/24 (8%) of subjects, especially when extensive micro-fistulisations were involved. None of the patients of our own series required an ICD, as the MMFs were of limited size. Congenital or acquired CCFs in adults are infrequent anomalies having a wide spectrum of clinical presentation may varies from asymptomatic to severely devastating states requiring different treatment modalities.

Coronary artery to the left atrial fistula after resection of atrial appendages

We report the case of a fistula formation between the left circumflex coronary artery draining into the left atrium as a complication of radiofrequency cardio-ablation and resection of the atrial appendages. This complication was diagnosed with the use of transesophageal echocardiography and was subsequently confirmed on coronary angiography.