Cor triatriatum: a cause of hemoptysis

Hemoptysis can be caused by either pulmonary or extrapulmonary causes. Congenital heart disease should be considered as a possible cause in patients who have no obvious evidence of pulmonary disease. We report on an 8-year-old girl who presented with recurrent hemoptysis without other cardiopulmonary signs, except for mild tachypnea and a prominent pulmonic component of the second heart sound, suggesting pulmonary hypertension. A chest X-ray revealed pulmonary venous congestion without other parenchymal disease. An echocardiogram revealed classical cor triatriatum, with a 6-mm orifice in the anomalous septum. Cardiac evaluation should be considered in patients with hemoptysis unexplained by pulmonary causes, even in the absence of overt cardiac symptoms.