Anomalous subaortic course of the left brachiocephalic (innominate) vein: echocardiographic diagnosis and report of an unusual association.
Subaortic left brachiocephalic, or innominate, vein is an uncommon finding in congenital heart disease, usually associated with obstruction of the right ventricular outflow tract. We describe our experience with 14 patients in whom the lesion was identified echocardiographically, 12 of them with right ventricular obstruction, one with totally anomalous pulmonary venous connection in the absence of obstruction to the right ventricular outflow tract, and the final one with a normal heart. A precise diagnosis of this venous anomaly is of great importance, since it needs to be differentiated from a central pulmonary artery, a pulmonary venous confluence, or an ascending vertical vein in totally anomalous pulmonary venous connection. In patients referred for surgery without catheterization, an incorrect echocardiographic diagnosis could lead to disastrous surgical results.
Morhy Borges Leal
Samira
S
Heart Institute, University of São Paulo, SP, Brazil. eco_samira@incor.usp.br
Andrade
Jose L
JL
de Souza
Mirna
M
Mussi Soares
Andressa
A
Penha Tavares
Glaucia M
GM
Yussef Afiune
Jorge
J
Coimbra Guerra
Vitor
V
Ferreira Demarchi
Lea M
LM
Mathias
Wilson
W
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D016121:Brachiocephalic Veins / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015897:Comorbidity; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery; D006344:Heart Septal Defects, Atrial / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D011666:Pulmonary Valve Stenosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013771:Tetralogy of Fallot / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology; D016896:Treatment Outcome