title: Isolated right superior vena cava drainage into the left atrium diagnosed noninvasively in the peripartum period.
abstract: Isolated right superior vena cava drainage into the left atrium is an extremely rare cardiac anomaly, especially in the absence of other cardiac abnormalities. Only 28 of 5,127 reported consecutive congenital cardiac cases involved superior vena cava drainage into the left atrium, and all were associated with other cardiac anomalies. Of 19 reported cases of right superior vena cava drainage into the left atrium, most patients have been children who were experiencing mild hypoxemia and cyanosis. Herein, we describe the case of a 34-year-old woman who presented with asymptomatic hypoxemia in the peripartum period. She was diagnosed to have isolated drainage of the right superior vena cava into the left atrium. To the best of our knowledge, this is the 1st reported instance of such diagnosis by use of noninvasive imaging only, without cardiac catheterization. We also review the medical literature that pertains to our patient's anomaly.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Scott & White Hospital, Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, Temple, Texas 76508, USA.
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Baggett
authors.forename: Shawn J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Skeen
authors.forename: D Scott
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Gantt
authors.forename: Bradley R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Trotter
authors.forename: Krista L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Birkemeier
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002585:Cesarean Section; D005260:Female; D005316:Fetal Distress; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000002:abnormalities*; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000209:etiology; D019028:Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Cine; D055420:Perfusion Imaging; D011247:Pregnancy; D011249:Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014683:Vena Cava, Superior / Q000002:abnormalities*