A SURGICALLY-TREATED CASE OF LEFT ATRIAL-MYXOMA COMPLICATING CORONARY-ARTERY FISTULA

CORONARY artery fistula (CAF) has been considered to be a rare anomaly ; its incidence was 0.17% in 126,595 patients undergoing coronary arte riography (GAG) during the period of 1960 to 1988.(1)) Recent advances in CAG and the more widespread adoption of this technique are reporte dly related to the increased frequency of detection of CAF. The incide nce of primary tumors of the heart in autopsy cases ranges from 0.0017 to 0.28%, and myxomas are the most common type of primary cardiac tum or, comprising 30 to 50% of the total in most studies.(2)) Recent prog ress in echocardiography is also linked to the easier diagnosis of myx oma. The prevalence of angiographically visible neovascularity in pati ents with myxoma is reported to be 40%.(3)) Our review of the literatu re, however, failed to uncover a single case of CAF complicated by car diac myxoma.