title: A prominent Eustachian valve dividing the right atrium imaged by three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography.
abstract: A 63-year-old man underwent transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) to rule out left atrial thrombi prior to cardioversion. Initial two-dimensional TEE with color flow Doppler imaging was suggestive of an atrial septal defect. However, three-dimensional TEE imaging revealed that the unusually large elongated Eustachian valve extended toward the superior vena cava and mimicked the interatrial septum, while the true septum was located more posteriorly than the Eustachian valve. Three-dimensional TEE imaging was crucial to understanding the anatomical relationship between the Eustachian valve and the interatrial septum and hence proved helpful in characterizing this unusual anatomical variant.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute, University of Alberta Hospital, 8440-112 Street, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2B7, Canada.
authors.forename: Ryoji
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Iida
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Vonder Muhll
mesh_terms: D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D018618:Echocardiography, Doppler, Color / Q000379:methods*; D019560:Echocardiography, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D017548:Echocardiography, Transesophageal / Q000379:methods*; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D054079:Vascular Malformations / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*