[Tight mitral stenosis with normal unilateral pulmonary capillary pressure]

There are few reports of severe mitral stenosis with normal pulmonary artery wedge pressure. In order to illustrate this problem we present two adult patients with these abnormalities. Both patients had intact interatrial septum with partial anomalous pulmonary venous drainage, one to the inferior vena cava (The Scimitar Syndrome) and the other to the superior vena cava. In the first case the right pulmonary artery wedge pressure was 11 mm Hg. In the second case this pressure was only 8 mm Hg. Pulmonary arteriograms are of paramount importance in the diagnosis and surgical management. In both cases the surgical procedure with mitral commissurotomy and transplant of the anomalous pulmonary veins to the left atrium was successful.