In 24 years, between 1974-1998, at the cardiovascular surgery clinic of Türkiye Yüksek İhtisas Hospital, 18 patients were operated with the diagnosis of coronary artery fistulae. Ten of the cases were females and 8 were males. Mean age was 36.9 (range 4-69). Recorded symptoms were of congestive heart failure or else; dispnaea on exertion, angina pectoris, palpitations and easy fatigue. The fistul tracts were originating from left coronary system in 12 cases, right coronary system in 3 cases and from both systems in 3 cases. Terminations were recorded to be to pulmonary artery in 9 cases, to right atrium in 2 cases, right ventricle in 4 cases, left ventricle in two cases, and coronary sinus in 1 case. When all the cohort taken into account, there was only one mortality (5.5%) in a case with coronary artery lesions and left ventricle aneurysm.

Total late term follow-up is 1668 months (4-240), and the mean follow-up is 8.2 years/patient. One patient died after the discharge from hospital. In other cases, there are two patients that are having medical treatment due to angina symptoms. All the other patients are symptom-free.

Surgical correction should be performed promptly in cases with coronary artery fistulae, before the complications due to fistula develops. In these case, if there is not any comorbidity of atherosclerotic coronary artery disease, early and late results of surgical treatment are very good.