title: Left superior vena cava to left atrial communication diagnosed with radionuclide angiocardiography and with differential right to left shunting.
abstract: Anomalous left superior vena cava to left atrial communication, although rare, should be considered in the presence of a right to left shunt without right ventricular hypertrophy, especially when the cause of the shunt cannot be identified at cardiac catheterization. We present a case with a diagnosis based on two radionuclide techniques. Nuclear angiography, performed after the injection of technetium-99m pertechnetate into the left arm, demonstrated the anomaly. Total body scans performed after intravenous injections of labeled albumin microspheres indicated 65% right to left shunting of left arm venous return but only 9% shunting of right arm venous return, findings that are diagnostic of left superior vena cava to left atrial communication.
mesh_terms: D000790:Angiocardiography; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D010313:Partial Pressure; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D013667:Technetium; D014683:Vena Cava, Superior / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging
chemical_list: D013667:Technetium; D010100:Oxygen