Fistula Coronary-Cardiac

Coronary-cardiac fistula - or, as it is also called, caliropiloe (coronary fistula) - is a pathological opening between the coronary sinus and one of the large tributaries of the coronary artery. It occurs due to a post-inflammatory adhesive process in the pericardial cavity, which can be a consequence of heart attacks, viral infections or other severe cardiovascular diseases.

In our body there are quite a few sac-like cavities that communicate with the bloodstream. One of these cavities is a space in the pericardial lining of the heart called the coronary-pericardial sinus. Normally, the entire pericardial cavity is filled with a fairly thick serous fluid and does not contain foreign inclusions. However, if this space is infected by pathogenic bacteria, complications arise that lead to infectious and inflammatory changes in the post-inflammatory pericardium.

To reduce the volume of blood flow into the cavity, a physiological defect occurs in the form of a fistula - a canal connecting the coronary sinus with any of the tributaries of the coronary artery. Most often, the site of abnormal communication between the sinus and the artery is the superficial epigastric arteries or their anastomoses. Less commonly, a hole appears between the pericardium and other segments of the coronary arteries or its tributaries.