title: Cor triatriatum sinister in a 43-year-old man with syncope.
abstract: Cor triatriatum sinister, a congenital cardiac anomaly involving a fibromuscular membrane that partitions the left atrium into 2 chambers, has been reported in only 0.1% to 0.4% of patients with congenital heart disease. The posterosuperior chamber receives blood from the pulmonary veins, and the anteroinferior chamber contains the left atrial appendage and mitral valve orifice. Most patients are diagnosed with the condition in infancy or childhood; adult cases are rare. We describe a case of cor triatriatum sinister in a 43-year-old man whose only presenting symptom was recurrent syncope. He underwent corrective resection of the membrane and was asymptomatic thereafter. In addition to discussing the patient's case, we review the relevant medical literature.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Cardiology (Drs. Crook, Eichholz, and Wortham), Internal Medicine (Dr. Hodroge), and Cardiothoracic Surgery (Dr. Mack), The University of Tennessee Medical Center, Knoxville, Tennessee 37920.
authors.forename: Janet L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Eichholz
authors.affiliation: Departments of Cardiology (Drs. Crook, Eichholz, and Wortham), Internal Medicine (Dr. Hodroge), and Cardiothoracic Surgery (Dr. Mack), The University of Tennessee Medical Center, Knoxville, Tennessee 37920.
authors.forename: Samer S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Hodroge
authors.affiliation: Departments of Cardiology (Drs. Crook, Eichholz, and Wortham), Internal Medicine (Dr. Hodroge), and Cardiothoracic Surgery (Dr. Mack), The University of Tennessee Medical Center, Knoxville, Tennessee 37920.
authors.forename: Jerry J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Crook
authors.affiliation: Departments of Cardiology (Drs. Crook, Eichholz, and Wortham), Internal Medicine (Dr. Hodroge), and Cardiothoracic Surgery (Dr. Mack), The University of Tennessee Medical Center, Knoxville, Tennessee 37920.
authors.forename: John W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Mack
authors.affiliation: Departments of Cardiology (Drs. Crook, Eichholz, and Wortham), Internal Medicine (Dr. Hodroge), and Cardiothoracic Surgery (Dr. Mack), The University of Tennessee Medical Center, Knoxville, Tennessee 37920.
authors.forename: Dale C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Wortham
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D003310:Cor Triatriatum / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D017548:Echocardiography, Transesophageal; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013575:Syncope / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
keywords: Cor triatriatum/complications/diagnosis/surgery; heart atria/abnormalities; heart defects, congenital/surgery; syncope/etiology; treatment outcome