Percutaneous closure of coronary artery fistulae in adults with intermediate term follow-up results.

OBJECTIVE: Percutaneous closure of coronary artery fistulae (CAF) has become an alternative method to surgery. But there are limited data about intermediate and long-term results. In this manuscript, we aimed to review our experience about the closure of CAF with several percutaneous methods in our center.
METHODS: Seven patients who admitted to our hospital, either symptomatic or having complications attributable to CAF, were analyzed. The immediate closure results and clinical follow-up were reviewed.
RESULTS: Five patients were male (71%) and mean age was 58.3 ± 13.3 years. Five of the CAF were draining into pulmonary artery and 2 of them were draining into the right atrium. Closure of CAF was performed with coil embolization in 5 patients, detachable balloon in 1 patient, and a combination of coil embolization and glue in the remaining 1 patient. In the early follow-up, 1 patient had atrial fibrillation and 1 patient had chest pain immediately after the closure procedure; other patients discharged from hospital uneventfully. Intermediate term follow-up results (32-83 months; median, 54 months) revealed that the procedure was clinically successful in all of the patients, despite the complaint of chest pain in 3 patients and minimal flow in 1 of these patients.
CONCLUSION: Percutaneous closure of CAF is feasible and safe in anatomically suitable vessels with good results at intermediate term follow-up. ©2011, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.