Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 10, 2026

Echocardiographic Evaluation of Atrial Communications before Transcatheter Closure
Published on: February 8, 2022
Neglected Partial Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Return during Atrial Septal Defect Device Closure
Elahe Radmehr1,2, Hassan Radmehr3, Mohsen Shahidi4
1Colorectal Research Center, Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract:
Partial anomalous pulmonary venous return (PAPVR) is a rare congenital heart malformation in which 1 or more pulmonary veins drain into the systemic venous circulation or directly into the right atrium instead of the left atrium. It may occur alongside other congenital heart defects, including atrial septal defect (ASD). All patients with newly diagnosed ASD must be evaluated thoroughly for the likelihood of PAPVR to select surgical or percutaneous procedures. Here, we describe a 10-year-old girl with PAPVR who underwent percutaneous device closure of her secundum ASD with her PAPVR neglected at 3 years of age. We had to correct the anomalous venous connection by removing the device during an intricate procedure. The typical connection of the pulmonary veins to the left atrium was reported on her postoperative echocardiography 1 day after surgery. The patient was discharged without complications, and her first follow-up visit 7 days after discharge was unremarkable. While the most accurate diagnostic tools for PAPVR are cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomographic angiography, a careful examination of the pulmonary veins during pulmonary angiography or transesophageal echocardiography in children helps identify PAPVR in patients with ASD.
Related Concept Videos
Heart Valves
The AV valves prevent the backflow of blood from the ventricles to the atria during ventricular contraction. These valves function with the assistance of the chordae tendineae and papillary muscles. When the ventricles are relaxed, the chordae tendineae are slack, allowing blood to flow from the atria into the...
Cardiac Catheterization II: Right Heart Catheterization
Mitral Regurgitation I: Introduction
Mitral Stenosis I: Introduction
Aortic Regurgitation I: Introduction
Cardiomyopathy III: Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

