Background: Coronary arteries drain into the left ventricle, known as coronary-left ventricular fistula (CLVF), an extremely rare anomalous coronary artery disease. Little is known about the outcomes following transcatheter closure (TC) or surgical closure (SC) of CLVF.
Method: This was a single-center retrospective study including 42 consecutive patients who underwent either the TC or SC procedure from January 2011 to December 2021. The baseline and anatomic characteristics of the fistulas, procedural outcomes, and late outcomes were summarized and analyzed.
Results: The mean age was 31.6 ± 16.2 years, with 28 male patients (66.7%). Fifteen patients underwent SC group and the remaining received TC group. There were no differences in age, comorbidities, clinical presentations, and anatomic characteristics between the 2 groups. The procedural success rate was similar (93.3% vs. 85.2%, P = 0.639) without operative and in-hospital mortality in both groups. Notably, patients who underwent TC had a significantly shorter postoperative in-hospital length of stay (2.11 ± 1.49 vs. 7.73 ± 2.37 days, P<0.001). The median follow-up time was 4.6 years (2.5-5.7 years, TC group) and 3.98 years (0.42-7.15 years, SC group), respectively. No difference was observed in the incidence of recanalization of the fistula (7.4% vs. 6.7%, P = 1) and myocardial infarction (0% vs. 0%). Cerebral infarction due to discontinuation of anticoagulants happened to two patients in the TC group. Importantly, thrombotic occlusion of the fistulous tract with patent parent coronary artery was found in 7 patients of the TC group.
Conclusion: Both transcatheter and SC are safe and effective for patients with CLVF. Thrombotic occlusion is a noteworthy late complication, and its presence indicates the use of anticoagulants lifelong.
Keywords: Coronary artery fistula; Coronary-left ventricular fistula; Transcatheter closure.
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