Coronary artery fistula - Management and intermediate-term outcome after transcatheter coil occlusion

During the last 2 decades, transcatheter occlusion of coronary artery fistu lae has developed into a safe and effective therapy for children. This proc edure avoids the need for open surgical repair and the attendant complicati ons of cardiopulmonary bypass and median sternotomy. The long-term outcome in patients after transcatheter occlusion remains unknown. We describe the intermediate-term progress of 4 such patients after coil occlusion of coron ary artery fistulae. Persistent coronary artery dilatation was present in a ll patients reviewed, as late as 4 years after occlusion.