Background: Coronary artery fistula is a rare, but recognized complication of surgical myectomy. Although most communicate with the right heart, a large fistula into the left ventricular cavity may result in a shunt haemodynamically analogous to aortic regurgitation. Understanding the variable presentation of iatrogenic coronary fistulae and the optimal evaluation strategy is critical to obtaining a timely diagnosis and instituting treatment.
Case summary: We report the case of a 57-year-old renal transplant recipient admitted for evaluation of presyncope, one-year post-surgical myectomy for hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy. An iatrogenic coronary artery fistula was suspected by transthoracic echocardiography, and later confirmed with both non-invasive and invasive coronary angiography.
Discussion: We highlight various cardiac imaging modalities that confirmed the diagnosis of coronary artery fistula and helped to determine the clinical significance. We report the tailored approach often required to determine the anatomic and haemodynamic characteristics of coronary fistulae and outline potential management strategies.
Keywords: Case report; Coronary artery; Echocardiography; Fistula; Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy; Myectomy.
© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology.