title: Congenital coronary artery fistulas: clinical considerations and surgical treatment.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Coronary artery fistulas are uncommon abnormalities that can cause significant cardiac morbidity. Indications for operation vary, particularly, for asymptomatic patients. Early surgical correction is indicated because of the high incidence of late symptoms and complications.
  
  
  METHODS
  From January 1981 to December 2001, all 15 patients who underwent surgical management of congenital coronary artery fistulas at the Tri-Service General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, China were included in the present retrospective study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twelve patients were symptomatic at the time of the diagnosis. Coronary artery fistulas involved the right coronary artery in five patients, left coronary artery in nine, and both the right and the left coronary arteries in one. Coronary artery fistula drained into the right ventricle in seven patients, right atrium in three, pulmonary artery in two, left ventricle in one, left atrium in two, and coronary venous sinus in one. The value of pulmonary blood flow/systemic blood flow ranged from 0.98 to 2.1. Six patients had associated cardiac anomalies. All patients received surgical correction. Nine patients received cardiopulmonary bypass during operation. There was zero operative mortality and operative morbidity was low. All patients had a stable condition and were asymptomatic during a mean postoperative follow-up of 13.3 years.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Early surgical treatment for coronary artery fistulas is safe and effective. The risk of operative correction appears to be considerably less than the potential for development of serious and potentially fatal complications, even in asymptomatic patients.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan, China.
authors.forename: Gou-Jieng
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Chih-yuan
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Chung-yi
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Shin-Hurng
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Loh
authors.forename: Hou-Sheng
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Kuang-Yi
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yi-Ting
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: Chien-Sung
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Tsai
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003330:Coronary Vessel Anomalies / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005402:Fistula / Q000151:congenital*; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D016896:Treatment Outcome