Pulmonary edema due to extreme left atrial compression

Pulmonary edema is a common concomitant of valvular heart disease and ventricular dysfunction. In addition, left atrial dysfunction due to thrombus, myxoma, or cor triatriatum can produce the same clinical picture. We encountered a patient with intractable pulmonary edema secondary to obliteration of the left atrial cavity by an extrinsically compressing lung tumor. We believe extrinsic compression of the left atrium caused impaired left atrial filling, leading to pulmonary venous hypertension and pulmonary edema.