Address for correspondence: Miquel A. Navas-Lobato, MD Department of Non-Invasive Cardiology Fundacio´ n Jimenez-D´ıaz Avda. Reyes Cat´olicos, 2. 28040 Madrid, Spain
[email protected]
Images in Cardiology Images edited by James Hill, MD.
Cor Triatriatum Miguel A. Navas Lobato, MD; Angel Sanchez-Recalde, MD; Roberto Martin Reyes, MD; Pilar Luruena Lobo, MD; Montse Bret Zurita, MD; Rafael Pinado Peinado, MD; Mar Moreno Yanguela, MD; Jose Mar´ıa Oliver Ruiz, MD Department of Cardiology (Navas Lobato), Fundaci´on Jimenez-D´ıaz, Madrid, Spain; Department of Cardiology (Sanchez-Recalde, Reyes, Peinado, Yanguela, Ruiz), Hospital Universitario La Paz, Madrid, Spain; Primary Care (Lobo), Area V, Madrid, Spain; Department of Radiology (Zurita), Hospital Universitario La Paz, Madrid, Spain
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Figure 1. Echocardiography (A) and magnetic resonance and right catheterization (B-D) confirming cor triatriatum diagnosis.
Cor triatriatumis a rare congenital anomaly characterized by an embriologic defect in which the common pulmonary vein fails to connect to the left posterior atrial wall. As a result, the left atrium is divided by a fibromuscular membrane in 2 chambers, the posterosuperior chamber that receives the drainage of the pulmonary veins, and the anteroinferior chamber that continues with the mitral
valve. We report on a 45-year-old woman whose diagnosis was made because of exertional dyspnea and paroxistic atrial fibrillation.Echocardiography showed a characteristic linear echodense structure crossing the left atrium (Figure 1A). Magnetic resonance and right catheterization confirmed the diagnosis of cor triatriatum (Figure 1B,C,D). The patient underwent surgical correction.
Received: July 4, 2008 Accepted with revision: July 10, 2008
Clin. Cardiol. 33, 12, E85 (2010) Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) DOI:10.1002/clc.20506 © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
E85