Project description:Coronary artery fistulas (CAFs) are rare coronary anomalies involving the communication of an epicardial coronary artery and another cardiovascular structure. CAFs are usually easily distinguished from nearby coronary arteries. Here, we report a unique case of CAF that mimics the size, branching pattern, and appearance of a native epicardial left anterior descending artery.
Project description:BackgroundIschaemic chest pain can be originated by different causes. Among all, coronary fistulas are rarely the reason. Such entities are usually asymptomatic and can be diagnosed by echocardiography or coronary angiography. In an even rarer scenario, coronary fistulas might dilate and form an aneurysm.Case summaryWe report the case of a 62-year-old patient who was initially referred to the emergency department for stable angina. Coronary angiography and computed tomography scan showed a giant aneurysm relating to a coronary fistula with a course from the circumflex coronary artery to the superior vena cava. The aneurysm was critically compressing the left anterior descending coronary artery. It was confirmed and resolved by surgery.DiscussionGiant aneurysms of a coronary fistula are very uncommon entities. We describe a rare case of angina caused by extrinsic compression of the left anterior descending artery from a giant aneurysm of a coronary fistula.
Project description:Coronary bifurcation angles influence plaque initiation in the coronary artery, and changes in blood flow caused by tortuosity in the coronary arteries can reduce blood pressure distal to the tortuous portion of the coronary artery, leading to myocardial ischemia. We aimed to describe two factors (coronary artery tortuosity and bifurcation angle) as one descriptor for the evaluation of proximal left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) disease. We reviewed the medical records of 133 consecutive patients who underwent computed tomography angiography (CTA) for angina symptoms between November 2019 and January 2020. The patients were divided into two groups according to the presence of significant LAD stenosis on CTA (defined as LAD stenosis >50%). The straight length of the vessel was measured using the central luminal line of the flow path, and, calculated using proprietary algorithms in TeraRecon software. We used three-dimensional volume rendering and two-dimensional axial images to measure the left main coronary artery (LM)-LAD angles. In the univariate analysis, there were significant differences in the linear distance between the endpoints of the 20 mm actual curve of the LAD (d20), cosine value for LM-LAD angle (cosθ) <0.8, age, presence of hypertension or diabetes, and number of pack years [hazard ratio (HR): 2.70, 8.04, 1.05, 3.70, 2.82, and 1.04; P=0.029, P<0.001, P=0.020, P=0.024, P=0.021, and P=0.002, respectively]. However, in the multivariate analysis, the cosθ multiplied by d20 (d20*cosθ) <15.5, presence of hypertension and number of pack years (HR: 11.36, 4.54, and 1.04; P<0.001, P=0.019, and P=0.003, respectively) were predictors of significant proximal LAD stenosis. As the tortuosity and LM-LAD angle increased (d20 and cosθ decreased, respectively), the chance of proximal LAD lesions formation increased. d20*cosθ might be useful as a predictor of proximal LAD stenosis.
Project description:A novel coronary anatomy in the form of anomalous left anterior descending coronary artery from pulmonary artery with a retroaortic left circumflex arising from the right coronary artery is presented. This unreported anatomy was discovered in a 7-month-old girl with failure to thrive. (Level of Difficulty: Intermediate.).
Project description:Dual left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) is a rare coronary anomaly and is divided into six subgroups in the literature according to the origin and course of the short and long branches of the anomalous artery. We present two distinct cases of dual LAD which are distinguished by two branches of equal length from their counterparts in the literature. <Learning objective: In our cases a novel dual LAD variant is presented with two main branches of equal length and reaches the cardiac apex. Cardiologists and cardiovascular surgeons should be aware of these variants to avoid misinterpretation of coronary angiography and intraoperative complications.>.
Project description:Coronary-cameral fistulas are rare congenital malformations, often incidentally found during cardiac catheterizations. The majority of these fistulas are congenital in nature but can be acquired secondary to trauma or invasive cardiac procedures. These fistulas most commonly originate in the right coronary artery and terminate into the right ventricle and least frequently drain into the left ventricle. Depending upon their size and location, coronary-cameral fistulas can lead to congestive heart failure, myocardial infarction, and bacterial endocarditis. We describe a case of 49-year-old woman who presented with worsening exertional dyspnea and leg swelling. Transthoracic echocardiogram revealed an ejection fraction of 35%. Cardiac catheterization demonstrated a fistula connecting the left anterior descending artery and the first obtuse marginal artery to the left ventricle. In this report, the authors provide a concise review on coronary fistulas, complications, and management options.
Project description:Coronary-artery-to-pulmonary-artery fistulae represent rare vascular anomalies defined as abnormal communications between the coronary arteries and the pulmonary arterial system. Takotsubo Syndrome represents a stress-induced cardiomyopathy defined by transient regional systolic dysfunction of the left ventricle, with minimal elevation of cardiac biomarkers, without angiographic evidence of obstructive coronary artery disease. We hereby richly illustrate an unusual and rare case of a female patient with Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy and left-anterior-descending-coronary-artery-to-pulmonary-trunk fistula through multi-modality imaging evaluations, obtaining a detailed anatomical representation of the coronary arteries and the fistulous connection, which further guided the optimal treatment strategy. The patient was treated conservatively. The main teaching points of this case are the following: (1) The coronary fistula may represent just an incidental finding in a Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy clinical scenario. (2) The particularly rare association between left-anterior-descending-coronary-artery-to-pulmonary-trunk fistula and Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy presentation is mainly due to the stress-induced overstimulation of myocardial beta-1 receptors, accentuating the coronary steal phenomenon in the setting of the coronary fistula, manifesting as anginal pain, and also the stress-induced adrenergic drive causing the Takotsubo-like presentation with apical ballooning of the left ventricle.