TITLE:
Collaterals of Life: Fistulous Communication of Vieussens’ Arterial Ring
AUTHORS:
Elba Palacios-Espinoza, Javier Figueroa-Tataje, Hugo Maximiliano-Nieva
KEYWORDS:
Vieussens’ Arterial Ring, Pulmonary Fistula, Coronary Artery Anomaly
JOURNAL NAME:
Case Reports in Clinical Medicine,
Vol.12 No.9,
September
1,
2023
ABSTRACT: The Vieussens’ arterial ring (VAR) is a rare coronary anomaly that may be associated with a pulmonary fistula, and has been linked to ischemia, myocardial infarction, heart failure, arrhythmias, and sudden death. We present the case of a 54-year-old man who was admitted to the emergency room with angina and dyspnea on moderate exertion, in the context of atrial fibrillation and decompensated heart failure with left ventricular systolic dysfunction. In the study of its etiology, coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) identified an anomalous conal artery outflow (type C) as part of the VAR and a fistula to the pulmonary artery trunk (variant 1b), with an arterial flow linking the conal artery and the middle third of the left anterior descending artery (LAD), which then fistulized to the pulmonary artery trunk. The hemodynamic and clinical repercussions presented with signs of ischemia in the LAD territory and acute heart failure. In this case, CCTA identified the coronary anomaly and its trajectory with great precision through volume rendering reconstruction, as well as the dynamics of coronary flow in the presence of the pulmonary fistula. This anatomical variant is rarely described, and CCTA is of great utility in the therapeutic decision for fistula closure.