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Published on: March 10, 2020
Case report: MRI evaluation of congenital coronary artery fistulae
J R Parga1, N M Ikari, L N P Bustamante
1Magnetic Resonance Section, Division, Heart Institute (InCor), University of Sao Paulo Medical School, Brazil. Av. Dr. Eneas de Carvalho Aguiar, 44, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil, 05403-000.
Insights
Congenital coronary artery fistulae are rare. Cardiac MRI effectively visualizes these fistulae, aiding diagnosis and surgical planning for this uncommon condition.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Congenital coronary artery fistula is a rare condition.
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is explored for its potential in visualizing the coronary artery tree.
Observation:
- Three patients with suspected right coronary artery fistulae underwent cardiac MRI.
- Clinical findings included continuous murmurs and cardiomegaly; echocardiography had limited success in diagnosis.
- MRI successfully demonstrated the anatomy of the fistulous vessels in all three cases.
Findings:
- Cardiac MRI accurately depicted the course of congenital coronary artery fistulae in all patients.
- MRI provided detailed anatomical information crucial for understanding the condition.
Implications:
- Cardiac MRI serves as a valuable non-invasive tool for diagnosing congenital coronary artery fistulae.
- Findings support the integration of MRI into the diagnostic workup for these rare anomalies.
Abstract:
Congenital coronary artery fistula is a rare disease and MRI is a promising technique that may be useful to demonstrate the coronary artery tree. We report three patients who underwent cardiac MRI to investigate right coronary artery fistulae. On clinical examination, a continuous murmur was heard along the left sternal border, and chest X-ray showed moderate cardiomegaly with enlargement of right chambers in all patients. Transthoracic Doppler echocardiography showed fistulae in two cases; the third case was not demonstrated by transthoracic or transoesophageal echocardiography. MRI demonstrated the course of the fistulous vessels in all patients. All patients underwent surgical closure of their coronary artery fistulae. MRI may show detailed anatomy of congenital coronary artery fistulae and may be useful as an additional non-invasive method in their investigation.
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