Transesophageal echocardiography: unusual case of anomalous pulmonary venous connection to the azygos vein

Isolated partial anomalous pulmonary venous connections in adults: twenty-year experience

OBJECTIVE

We sought to review our experience with isolated partial anomalous pulmonary veins as their management is controversial.

DESIGN

We reviewed all patients with isolated partial anomalous pulmonary veins >18 years attending the Congenital Clinic from 1988-2008.

RESULTS

Forty-three patients aged 20-73 years were included. Fifteen patients had no surgery, 11 of whom had a single anomalous pulmonary vein. Surgical repair was performed in 28 patients: 27 had right ventricular volume overload, 21 had more than one anomalous pulmonary vein, and 1 had stenosed pulmonary veins. Right ventricular systolic pressure was elevated (>35 mm Hg) in 12 patients. Eleven patients had anomalous left pulmonary veins: 10 had the pulmonary vein anastomosed to the left atrial appendage and one patient had anastomosis to the left lower pulmonary vein. One patient had bilateral anomalous pulmonary veins anastomosed directly to the left atrium. Sixteen patients had anomalous right pulmonary veins: fifteen had a baffle through a surgically-created atrial septal defect, while one had the anomalous pulmonary vein anastomosed to the left atrium. There was no early mortality. During mean echo follow-up of 2.7 years, 19 patients (68%) had reduced right ventricular size and five had improved right ventricular function. Seven patients with increased pulmonary pressure had a decrease post-operatively.

CONCLUSION

Partial anomalous pulmonary veins can cause symptoms, right ventricular volume overload, and pulmonary hypertension, particularly when more than one pulmonary vein is anomalous. Surgical repair can be accomplished with low morbidity and mortality, with improvement in the right ventricular size and pulmonary pressures in most.

Unusual case of left partial anomalous pulmonary venous connection with successful surgical management

We describe a case of left-sided partial anomalous pulmonary venous connection diagnosed in the setting of a respiratory illness affecting the right lung, which presumably elevated pulmonary pressures and worsened right-to-left shunting. The anatomical configuration appears to be highly unusual in this case, with separate supracardiac connections of the left upper pulmonary vein (LUPV) to a vertical vein (draining to the innominate vein) and the left lower pulmonary vein to the azygos vein. Successful surgical repair was undertaken with direct anastomosis of the LUPV to the left atrial appendage and creation of an intra-superior vena cava baffle to redirect azygos vein flow to the left atrium.

Anomalies associated with a prominent azygos vein on echocardiography in the pediatric population

BACKGROUND

Prominent azygos veins (PAVs) have been described with interrupted inferior venae cavae (IVCs) with heterotaxy. At the authors' institution, cases of PAVs with uninterrupted IVCs have been noted. The aim of this study was to determine the occurrence rate of PAVs and associated lesions by echocardiography.

METHODS

All patients with PAVs were collected; those with interrupted and uninterrupted IVCs were assigned to groups 1 and 2. Normal controls were assigned to group 3.

RESULTS

Among 15,849 patients from January 1, 2001, to March 31, 2008, 55 (0.3%) had PAVs, 42 (76%) in group 1 and 13 (24%) in group 2. Heterotaxy was prominent in group 1, whereas patients in group 2 had no heterotaxy. Patients in group 2 had more structurally normal hearts than those in group 1 (46% vs 14%, P<.01), partial anomalous pulmonary venous return, and one single ventricle. IVC measurements were the same in groups 2 and 3 (P=.65).

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrates that a PAV without IVC interruption is not associated with heterotaxy. Patients with PAVs should be carefully examined for partial anomalous pulmonary venous return.

Ultrafast three-dimensional contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography and imaging in the diagnosis of partial anomalous pulmonary venous drainage

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of our study was to evaluate patients with suspected anomalous pulmonary veins (APVs) and atrial septal defects (ASDs) using fast cine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrafast three-dimensional magnetic resonance angiography (MRA).

BACKGROUND

Precise anatomic definition of anomalous pulmonary and systemic veins, and the atrial septum are prerequisites for surgical correction of ASDs. Cardiac catheterization and transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) are currently used to diagnose APVs, but did not provide complete information in our patients.

METHODS

Twenty consecutive patients with suspected APVs were studied by MRA after inconclusive assessment by catheterization, TEE or both. The MRI images were acquired with a fast cine sequence and a novel ultrafast three-dimensional sequence before and after contrast injection.

RESULTS

Partial anomalous pulmonary venous drainage was demonstrated in 16 of 20 patients and was excluded in four patients. Magnetic resonance imaging correctly diagnosed APVs and ASDs in all patients (100%) who underwent surgery. For the diagnosis of APVs, the MRI and catheterization results agreed in 74% of patients and the MRI and TEE agreed in 75% of patients. For ASDs, MRI agreed with catheterization and TEE in 53% and 83% of patients, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Fast cine MRI with three-dimensional contrast-enhanced MRA provides rapid and comprehensive anatomic definition of APVs and ASDs in patients with adult congenital heart disease in a single examination.