RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Coronary artery fistulae (CAF) are rare anomalies. Left anterior descending(LAD) to Pulmonary artery (PA) CAF, represent a minority of cases. Large fistulas, create a significant shunt and a "steal phenomenon", and can lead to myocardial ischemia and heart failure (HF) if left untreated. CASE PRESENTATION: We present a 57 years old female with a large LAD to PA fistulae. Given the rare occurrence and the predominance of low shunt of LAD to PA CAF, this case is functionally exceptional in this fistulae variant, causing a significant shunt which resulted in daily cardiac ischemic chest pain. Diagnosis work up included a nuclear stress test, Coronary Angiography and 3-D Coronary Computed Tomography Angiogram (CCTA). Traditionally, surgery has been the main therapy for symptomatic CAF, but transcatheter closure has emerged as a less invasive strategy and is a valuable alternative or even preferable if no associated cardiac conditions are present, provided the anatomical characteristics of the fistulae are appropriate. The surgical approach includes off pump epicardial interruption of the fistula or closure through a cardiac chamber (trans-cameral) or transpulmonary, or epicardial closure using Cardiopulmonary bypass. Caution must be taken in cases of CAF with Coronary Artery (CA) aneurysm in dominant CA, or drainage into the Coronary Sinus, as the possibility of ischemic complications are higher. Due to anatomical considerations and tortuosity of the fistulae, our patient was considered not amenable for percutaneous closure and surgery was opted. Epicardial closure of the fistula was performed on a beating heart, off pump. Outcome was favorable with complete resolution of ischemic symptoms. CONCLUSION: Symptomatic, high shunt CAF must be interrupted. The presence of daily ischemic symptoms in our case report patient, is worth to be remarked. Alternatives for fistulae closure are transcatheter or surgery, depending on anatomic variables and the presence of associated cardiac conditions. Surgical epicardial closure of LAD to PA fistulae variant can be done with very low mortality and morbidity, but other variants with coronary aneurysm, drainage in the coronary sinus or other concomitant cardiac defects, may result in ischemic complications and higher perioperative mortality and worse long- term outcome.
Assuntos
Doença da Artéria Coronariana/cirurgia , Anomalias dos Vasos Coronários/cirurgia , Artéria Pulmonar/cirurgia , Fístula Vascular/complicações , Angiografia Coronária , Seio Coronário , Vasos Coronários , Feminino , Insuficiência Cardíaca/cirurgia , Humanos , Processamento de Imagem Assistida por Computador , Imageamento Tridimensional , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Isquemia Miocárdica/cirurgia , Resultado do TratamentoRESUMO
Myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE) has an established role in left ventricular assessment by improving the ventricular opacification and endocardial border definition especially in patients with sub-optimal echocardiographic images. With advances in cardiac ultrasound imaging technology and the development of new contrast agents, the clinical utility of this technique has greatly expanded to include assessment of coronary reperfusion in the setting of acute myocardial infarction, determination of myocardial viability within infarct zones as well as assessment of coronary microcirculation and flow reserve in patients with microvascular coronary disease. Improvements in image quality with intravenous contrast agents can facilitate image acquisition and enhance delineation of regional wall motion abnormalities at peak levels of exercise. Numerous studies have confirmed the clinical utility of contrast enhancement during echocardiographic studies, particularly in patients undergoing stress testing. In this paper, we explore the evidence in support of MCE and its potential clinical applications. Our review aims to summarize (1) the basic principles of myocardial contrast echocardiography including recent advances in the ultrasound technology and contrast agents (2) its clinical applications in the diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases and finally, (3) its potential role in risk stratification and assessment of microvascular perfusion in patients with hypertensive heart disease.