[Congenital coronary artery-cardiac chamber fistula: diagnosis and surgical treatment].

From Nov. 1976 to Dec. 1989, 9 patients with congenital coronary artery-cardial chamber fistula were operated upon in our hospital. In this series right coronary artery-right ventricle fistula was found in 3 patients, right coronary artery-left ventricle fistula in 2, left coronary artery-right ventricle fistula in 2, left circumflex artery-right atrium fistula in 1, and bilateral coronary artery-cardiac chamber fistula in 1. Cardiopulmonary bypass was performed in 8. The fistula was closed by interrupted mattress sutures outside the cardiac chamber plus ligation of terminal portion of the coronary artery near the fistula in 5 patients, and by mattress sutures inside the dilated coronary artery or cardiac chamber in other 4. There was no operative death in the 8 patients with single fistula. One patient with bilateral coronary artery fistula died from hypoxemia postoperatively. Late complications or recurrent fistulas were not found in the follow-up period from 3 months to 12 years. The diagnosis, operative indications and technique of closing fistula were discussed.