Myocardial ischemia secondary to flow steal phenomenon by coronary fistulas: case report

Abstract

Coronary fistulas are an anomalous direct communication between the coronary arteries and one of the four cardiac cavities or one of the blood vessels near the heart, are uncommon with an angiographic incidence between 0.1% - 2%, and, depending of the magnitude of coronary steal, they may be asymptomatic or cause severe clinical symptoms with high functional repercussion, such as myocardial ischemia, congestive heart failure, endocarditis, recurrent respiratory infections or, in rare cases, pulmonary hypertension.
We present a case of a female patient with coronary fistulas that caused myocardial ischemia due to coronary flow steal with important clinical and hemodynamic repercussions. The definitive diagnosis was made through percutaneous coronary intervention and given the anatomical characteristics of the fistulas, medical treatment was determined.