title: A case of coronary artery fistula diagnosed in the right decubitus position by transthoracic echocardiography.
abstract: A 70-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital for a continuous heart murmur in the fourth intercostal space at the right sternal border. Routine echocardiography demonstrated aneurismal dilatation at the origin of right coronary artery. These findings suggested a coronary artery fistula, although its drainage site could not be identified. By shifting the patient to the right decubitus position, we could observe an abnormal color Doppler signal going from the right coronary artery into the right atrium, confirming coronary artery fistula. The right decubitus position may be helpful for the evaluation of abnormal anatomic and auscultatory findings.
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Division, Osaka Minami Medical Center, 2-1 Kidohigashi, Kawachinagano, Osaka 586-8521, Japan.
authors.forename: Ryo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Araki
authors.forename: Haruhiko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.forename: Hidenori
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Adachi
authors.forename: Seiko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Umekawa
authors.forename: Susumu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hattori
authors.forename: Yoshiki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Noda
authors.forename: Yoshinori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yasuoka
authors.forename: Tatsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sasaki
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D011187:Posture; D016157:Vascular Fistula / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*