Prenatal diagnosis of fetal isolated right coronary artery to left ventricle fistula

Coronary artery fistula (CAF) is a rare malformation and is seldom reported during pregnancy. Right coronary artery fistula commonly drains into the right ventricle, right atrium, or pulmonary artery. We describe here a rare case of fetal CAF draining into the left ventricle using cross‐sectional and color Doppler echocardiography. We also summarized our experience in the diagnosis of this uncommon malformation, in which tracing the origin, course, and outlet of the abnormal intra‐cardiac flow played a key role.     

E-Flow血流显像技术对胎儿冠状动脉瘘的诊断价值

目的探讨E-Flow血流显像技术对胎儿冠状动脉瘘的诊断价值。方法在胎儿超声心动图检查中除使用常规彩色多普勒外加用了E-Flow血流显像技术,产前诊断冠状动脉瘘5例。使用Alokaα10彩色超声诊断仪,探头频率为3.5～5.0 MHz。对二维超声(2D)发现胎儿一侧心房、心室异常增大或冠状动脉增粗的患者,进一步探查冠状动脉。先以彩色多普勒超声(CDFI)获取心腔内异常血流,再以连续多普勒(CW)获取舒张期为主的高速血流频谱,初步证实该异常血流来自于冠状动脉。此时启动E-Flow显像模式追溯该异常血流。结果 5例胎儿冠状动脉瘘均出生后经超声证实。其中2例为左冠状动脉右心室瘘、1例为左冠状动脉右心房瘘,1例为右冠状动脉右心房瘘,1例为右冠状动脉右心室瘘。E-Flow显像技术能够敏感地捕捉冠状动脉瘘血流,清晰显示冠状动脉瘘的起源、瘘管的走行以及瘘口的位置、大小,其血流显像优于传统的彩色多普勒。结论应用E-Flow显像技术可以在产前更加准确、快速地诊断胎儿冠状动脉瘘。推荐E-Flow血流显像技术成为胎儿冠状动脉瘘的诊断工具之一。     

Prenatal diagnosis of double aortic arch with subaortic left brachiocephalic vein and right-side ductus arteriosus using high-definition flow render mode and spatiotemporal image correlation

Double aortic arch (DAA) with subaortic left brachiocephalic vein (LBCV) and right-side ductus arteriosus (RDA) was not reported before delivery, only in adults with anatomy course findings. We present a case of fetal DAA with subaortic LBCV and RDA using high-definition (HD) flow render mode and spatiotemporal image correlation (STIC).     

Successful surgical management of a single coronary artery with giant coronary artery aneurysm with fistula to the right ventricle

A giant coronary artery aneurysm (GCAA) concurrent with coronary artery fistula is a rare condition, and it becomes even more unusual when combined with a single coronary artery (SCA) anomaly. Here, we report such an extremely rare case, who is a 35-year-old woman presenting with severe chest distress. A GCAA with fistula to the right ventricle was noted, occurring in a single coronary artery, diagnosed by multimodality cardiovascular imaging techniques. Both GCAA and coronary artery fistula can cause severe cardiac complications, which jeopardize life. While an SCA is mostly asymptomatic, it may also lead to sudden cardiac death as well. Therefore, surgical intervention was recommended. We chose a novel thrombus-inducing strategy to eliminate the GCAA and repair the fistula. Symptoms were relieved after the surgery, and the patient remained asymptomatic over 8 months of follow-up.     

Non-invasive diagnosis of a congenital coronary artery fistula

This report describes a large congenital coronary artery fistula of the left circumflex artery draining into the coronary sinus in a 46 year old woman. The fistula was initially diagnosed by cross-sectional and transesopha-geal echocardiography using multiplane probe. Additionally, the entire course of the fistula was visualised in electron beam tomography. Angiography confirmed echocardiographic and tomographic findings.     

Transcatheter closure of right coronary artery fistula to the right ventricle

Coronary artery fistula (CAF) is an uncommon anomaly that is usually congenital but can be acquired. Although most patients are asymptomatic, some may present with congestive heart failure, infective endocarditis, myocardial ischemia or rupture. In the past, surgical ligation was the only option in the management of CAF, but since 1983, transcatheter closure of CAF has been increasing as an alternative to surgery. We report a 3-year-old boy, presented in Queen Alia Heart Institute, who underwent successful transcatheter closure of a large fistula communicating the distal part of the right coronary artery to the right ventricle. Our case differs from other CAFs in that the fistula was communicating the right coronary artery itself to the right ventricle.     

Left circumflex coronary artery to left atrial fistula in a patient with mitral stenosis: Invasive and noninvasive findings with pathophysiologic correlation

We report a case of an angiographically documented fistula between the circumflex coronary artery and a left atrial appendage thrombus in a patient with mitral stenosis, flow from which can be demonstrated solely by a color doppler transesophageal echocardiogram. Evaluation of catheter derived hemodynamics and angiographic flow patterns reveals a heretofore undescribed physiologic property of coronary to atrial shunts in patients with mitral stenosis. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

An unusual case of infective endocarditis involving a right coronary artery to superior vena cava fistula

Coronary artery fistulas (CAFs) are rare and mostly congenital anomalous connections between a coronary artery and a cardiac chamber or great vessel. Most CAFs are small, asymptomatic, and found incidentally during cardiac imaging. However, they can lead to serious complications including myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, arrhythmias, or fistula rupture. CAFs have been associated with infective endocarditis, but to our knowledge, this complication has never been reported involving an isolated CAF to an otherwise anatomically normal great vessel. We report the first case of this complication in a 49‐year‐old man with a presumed streptococcus vegetation found within an isolated large, tortuous CAF connecting the right coronary artery to the superior vena cava. After completing antibiotic treatment, transcatheter closure of the CAF was performed. Since then, the patient has remained symptom‐free. This case demonstrates that CAF closure is feasible following CAF‐associated endocarditis, and that closure may represent a viable strategy for reducing risk of recurrent infection. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Incremental value of live/real time three-dimensional over two-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography in the evaluation of right coronary artery fistula

We report an adult with a right coronary artery to right atrial fistula in whom live/real time three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography with its ability to trace the entire course and obtain en face views of the fistula connections, was able to provide significant incremental information over two-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography.     

Large left circumflex coronary artery with a fistula to superior vena cava: Diagnosis by echocardiography

The left circumflex coronary artery associated with a fistula to superior vena cava is a rare entity. We describe a 7‐year‐old girl who presented with a cardiac murmur and was diagnosed with a coronary artery fistula between the left circumflex artery and superior vena cava by echocardiography. The surgical occlusion of the fistula was successful.     

Right coronary artery cirsoid with fistulous connection to the coronary sinus

A 61-yr-old woman was referred to our hospital for evaluation of a suspected right atrial myxoma. The transesophageal echocardiogram suggested the presence of an anomalous right coronary artery with fistulous connection to the coronary sinus. At cardiac catheterization, an oxygen stepup in the right atrium indicated a 1.3:1.0 left-to-right shunt. Aortic root angiography showed a large and calcified right coronary artery cirsoid draining to the coronary sinus, which appeared remarkably dilated. In this rare anomaly, cardiac catheterization is necessary, not only to quantify the magnitude of the left-to-right shunt, which is an important requirement for the indication to surgical treatment, but also to confirm the echocardiographic diagnosis.© 1993 Wlley-Liss, Inc     

Unusual form of coronary artery fistula of left anterior descending and right coronary artery in an adult patient

An unusual morphologically tortuous, common fistulous communication of the left anterior descending and right coronary artery with the right ventricle was found in a 55-year-old male patient with severe aortic and mild mitral regurgitation. The angiographic features of this lesion are discussed because of the rarity of this doubly rare coronary artery fistula.     

Left-circumflex coronary artery to right atrium fistula with saccular aneurysm and its endovascular treatment

The combination of coronary artery aneurysm and coronary artery fistula is infrequent. A saccular aneurysm of a branch of the left-circumflex coronary artery associated with multiple fistulae to the right atrium was observed on a coronary angiogram performed in a 47-year-old female. Multidetector computed tomography coronary angiography detailed the anatomy of the abnormal coronary artery. An embolization with a microcoil was performed and the aneurysm sac was excluded.     

Noninvasive diagnosis of coronary artery fistula by two-dimensional and Doppler echocardiography

Summary In a 48-year-old woman, the diagnosis of a right coronary arteriovenous fistula communicating with the coronary sinus was made noninvasively using two-dimensional, pulsed and color Doppler echocardiography.These noninvasive techniques were superior to angiography in delineating the cardiac chamber into which the fistula emptied.     

Unusual presentation of a huge right coronary artery fistula; Technical issues with device closure

Coronary artery fistula (CAF) is considered an embryologic persistence of primitive intra-trabecular spaces which allow the developing coronary artery to communicate with the other cardiac chambers or vascular structures. It is observed in 0.05–0.25% of coronary angiographic studies, most of which drain into a right heart chamber or into the pulmonary artery, while a congenital right coronary artery (RCA) into a left heart chamber is less frequent.⁵ In this study, we describe an unusual case treated by closure device in the right coronary artery fistula to the left ventricle, and associated literature is reviewed. A 40-year-old female presented with chronic cough, otherwise asymptomatic. Echocardiogram revealed unusual flow into the LV with mild LV dilatation. A 64 multi-slice CT scan confirmed the presence of a huge right coronary opening with a fistula into the left ventricle. The decision was to close this fistula with device through the RCA into the left ventricle. The management of this unusually large fistula is described with focus on technical issues with device closure.     

先天性冠状动脉瘘的诊断与治疗(附34例报告)

目的:总结分析34例先天性冠状动脉瘘(CAF)的临床诊断治疗与外科手术方法。方法:回顾性分析应用超声心动图、64层螺旋CT、选择性冠状动脉造影等检查确诊的34例CAF患者的临床资料,其中24例为单纯性CAF,10例合并其他心脏外科疾病。结果:34例中5例直接行动脉瘘切线缝合术,其余29例均在体外循环直视下行瘘口修补并同时矫治合并心脏疾病。心腔内发现2瘘口1例,4瘘口1例,其他均为单一瘘口。所有患者术毕效果明显,无一例死亡,超声心动图复查均无残余瘘存在。22例随访0.5~3年无死亡及并发症发生。结论:64层螺旋CT检查可准确显示各种CAF的起源、行程、引流部位及并发异常,显示冠状动脉近段管腔的形态及一些较大冠状动脉瘘,是一种较为理想的无创性诊断CAF的影像方法。CAF明确诊断后,及时行外科手术治疗安全可靠,少数患者可行介入治疗。     

Successful transcatheter closure of coronary artery fistula in a child with single coronary artery: A heavy load and a long road

Single coronary artery is an uncommon variation of the coronary circulation. After transposition of great arteries, coronary artery fistulas are the most common associated cardiac anomalies in these patients. Transcatheter closure of coronary artery fistula (CAF) involving single coronary artery is a challenging intervention. In the absence of contralateral coronary artery, a complex anatomy of the CAF and a large myocardial perfusion territory of the dominant circulation pose an additional risk during interventional procedure. We report our experience of a successful transcatheter closure of a coronary artery fistula in a patient with single coronary artery. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.