A case of coronary artery fistula diagnosed in the right decubitus position by transthoracic echocardiography
✍ Scribed by Ryo Araki; Haruhiko Abe; Hidenori Adachi; Seiko Umekawa; Susumu Hattori; Yoshiki Noda; Yoshinori Yasuoka; Tatsuya Sasaki
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 2011
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 254 KB
- Volume
- 39
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0091-2751
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✦ Synopsis
Abstract
A 70‐year‐old woman was admitted to our hospital for a continuous heart murmur in the fourth intercostal space at the right sternal border. Routine echocardiography demonstrated aneurismal dilatation at the origin of right coronary artery. These findings suggested a coronary artery fistula, although its drainage site could not be identified. By shifting the patient to the right decubitus position, we could observe an abnormal color Doppler signal going from the right coronary artery into the right atrium, confirming coronary artery fistula. The right decubitus position may be helpful for the evaluation of abnormal anatomic and auscultatory findings. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound 2011.