Coronary Arteriovenous Communication

Abstract

THE least common developmental defects in the heart are those seen involving the coronary arteries. According to Gasul and Fell¹ anomalous coronary arteries constitute 0.43 per cent of all congenital heart diseases. Alexander and Griffith² found 54 cases with anomalies involving the coronary arteries among 18,950 autopsies.Coronary arteries may be abnormal developmentally in their distribution or site of origin, or because of the existence of abnormal communications. The rarest of these involve abnormal communications between two coronary vessels and constitute coronary arteriovenous fistulas. In the first case, reported by Abbott,³ the left coronary artery had communicated with the right. . . .