Partial anomalous pulmonary venous return in a lung transplant recipient

Partial anomalous pulmonary venous return (PAPVR) is a rare condition in which some of the pulmonary veins empty into the systemic venous system. The presence of PAPVR in a lung transplant recipient may cause technical challenges during transplantation. We present a technique for left atrial reconstruction when faced with a recipient with PAPVR. The patient had a left superior pulmonary vein that emptied into the brachiocephalic vein without a left atrial connection. Because of the discrepancy in size of the 2 donor and the single recipient pulmonary veins, left atrial reconstruction was performed before venous anastomosis.