Right coronary artery fistula with giant pseudoaneurysm presenting as intrapericardial mass

Coronary artery fistulas are rare congenital anomalies usually discovered incidentally on imaging studies. Coronary artery pseudoaneurysms are unusual complications of coronary artery fistulas, which can be due to atherosclerosis, inflammatory, traumatic or iatrogenic causes. We present a case of a 55 year old female with no known atherosclerotic risk factors, history of trauma or connective tissue disease referred because of recurrent palpitations. Work ups revealed a cardiac mass with an initial assessment of pericardial cyst. A multi modality approach of two dimensional echocardiography with Doppler studies, multidetector computed tomography and coronary angiogram revealed coronary artery fistula draining into a pericardial mass. The patient underwent surgical excision of the mass and ligation of the feeding vessel. Histopathology revealed features suggestive of a pseudoaneurysm. Postoperative course was uneventful and she was discharged stable and improved. Coronary artery fistula complicated by pseudoaneurysm is a rare clinical entity especially in patients without history of trauma or other risk factors. It can have an unusual presentation which can confound the diagnosis. Multimodality imaging is essential and adjunctive in order to determine a conclusive assessment. <Learning objective: Coronary artery pseudoaneurysm secondary to a congenital coronary artery fistula is an unusual cardiovascular pathology and can present as a rare diagnostic challenge for the clinician. This case emphasizes the importance of meticulous integration of both clinical assessment and complementary multimodality imaging approaches to better define the best therapeutic plan and facilitation of definitive surgical management.>.