MRI is useful for demonstrating the anatomy of various congenital cardiac lesions and plays an important role in the diagnosis of congenital cardiac lesions. Its large field of view and unlimited imaging planes enable the depiction of complex lesions, the complicated three-dimensional relations of the cardiac chambers and anomalies of the central pulmonary arteries, the systemic and pulmonary veins, and aorta. We describe the normal MR anatomy and MR imaging findings of a variety of congenital pathologies of the heart, in order to provide a better understanding and facilitate the interpretation of the MR features of various congenital heart diseases.
Aorta ; Diagnosis ; Heart ; Heart Defects, Congenital* ; Heart Diseases ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Pathology ; Pulmonary Artery ; Pulmonary Veins

Pulmonary vein thrombosis is a rare disease and is usually represented as a complication of atrial fibrillation, pulmonary tumors, and lobectomy. Although it is a potentially life threatening condition, the venous disease is easy to misdiagnose because of the non-specific symptoms. In this article, we present a 30-year-old patient who suffered from pulmonary vein thrombosis without any causes. He was diagnosed with other pulmonary disorders till the thrombus within the pulmonary vein extended into the left atrium. Left atrium mass resection and a left lower lobectomy were undertaken with relative urgency. The postoperative course was uneventful. The patient received a long course of oral anticoagulant therapy.
Adult ; Echocardiography, Transesophageal ; Heart Atria ; pathology ; Humans ; Male ; Pulmonary Veins ; Venous Thrombosis ; pathology ; surgery

OBJECTIVETo improve the diagnostic accuracy of fetal pulmonary venous abnormalities through the analysis of the fetal pulmonary vein anatomy.

METHODS234 cases of congenital cardiac abnormalities were detected by echocardiography during pregnancy in An Zhen Hospital, Capital Medical University from May 2010 to August 2015. Autopsy was then performed. The type of fetal pulmonary venous malformation, cardiac abnormalities, systemic venous malformations, and other internal organs deformities were documented.

RESULTSThere were ninteen cases of pulmonary venous malformations among the 234 cases of fetal congenital heart disease. These included two cases of congenital pulmonary venous hypoplasia (CPVH) or atresia, four cases of partial anomalous pulmonary venous drainage (PAPVD), seven cases of total anomalous pulmonary venous drainage (TAPVD), five cases of atresia of common pulmonary vein (CPV), one case of congenital pulmonary venous hypoplasia with total anomalous pulmonary venous drainage. There were eleven cases with single ventricle, eight cases with right aortic arch, seven cases with single atrium and six cases with pulmonary valve stenosis. Eleven cases had pulmonary hypoplasia and nine cases had abnormal spleen.

CONCLUSIONSThere are many variations in pulmonary venous abnormalities associated with severe and complex cardiac abnormalities and internal organs malformation. Care should be exercised during autopsy examination to look for all branches of the pulmonary vein.

Autopsy ; Female ; Fetal Diseases ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; diagnosis ; Humans ; Pregnancy ; Pulmonary Veins ; abnormalities ; Spleen ; pathology

Primary cardiac tumors are extremely rare and can originate within the heart or be the result of tumor spread from other sites. We report a female patient with a pulmonary vein tumor extending into the left atrium that had a suspicious primary malignant origin with a sacral metastatic carcinoma. The patient was admitted complaining of pain in her buttock area as a result of a sacral tumor. It was believed that the sacral tumor was a metastasis from the imaging study and clinical manifestation. The primary malignant origin was evaluated. The chest CT showed a left atrium thrombus-like lesion without a pulmonary abnormality. After a transesophageal echocardiogram, the patient was diagnosed with a pulmonary vein tumor extending to the left atrium. The patient was given palliative radiotherapy for the sacral pain. Initially, the clinical impression was a metastatic sacral tumor with a thromboembolism of the left atrium. However, this patient was finally diagnosed with a pulmonary vein tumor with a left atrium extension by a transesophageal echocardiogram.
Vascular Neoplasms/*diagnosis/pathology ; Thromboembolism/diagnosis ; Sacrococcygeal Region/pathology ; Pulmonary Veins/*pathology ; Palliative Care ; Humans ; Heart Neoplasms/*diagnosis/pathology ; Heart Atria/*pathology ; Female ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Aged

Atrial Fibrillation ; pathology ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; pathology ; Heart Septal Defects, Atrial ; pathology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pulmonary Veins ; pathology ; Vena Cava, Superior ; pathology

We report a case of central venous stenosis due to a structural deformity caused by a tuberculosis-destroyed lung in a 65-year-old woman. The patient presented with left facial edema. She had a history of pulmonary tuberculosis, and the chest X-ray revealed a collapsed left lung. Angiography showed leftward deviation of the innominate vein leading to kinking and stenosis of the internal jugular vein. Stent insertion improved her facial edema.
Aged ; Brachiocephalic Veins/*pathology/radiography ; *Central Venous Pressure ; Constriction, Pathologic/*etiology/pathology/therapy ; Edema/therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Jugular Veins/pathology/radiography ; Stents ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary/*complications/pathology/radiography ; Vascular Diseases/*etiology/pathology/therapy

We present a case of pulmonary vein (PV) stenosis after radio-frequency (RF) ablation, in which a hemodynamic change in the pulmonary artery was similar to that of congenital PV atresia on time-resolved contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (TR-MRA). A 48-year-old man underwent RF ablation due to atrial fibrillation. The patient subsequently complained of hemoptysis, dyspnea on exertion, and right chest pain. Right PV stenosis after catheter ablation was diagnosed through chest computed tomography and lung perfusion scan. Pulmonary TR-MRA revealed the pulmonary artery via systemic arterial collaterals and draining systemic collateral veins. On a velocity-encoded cine image, the flow direction of the right pulmonary artery was reversed in the diastolic phase and the left pulmonary artery demonstrated continuous forward flow throughout the cardiac cycle. These hemodynamic changes were similar to those seen in congenital unilateral PV atresia.
Atrial Fibrillation/*surgery ; Blood Flow Velocity ; Catheter Ablation/*adverse effects ; Constriction, Pathologic/*etiology/pathology ; Contrast Media ; Humans ; *Magnetic Resonance Angiography ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pulmonary Artery/pathology/physiopathology ; *Pulmonary Circulation ; Pulmonary Veins/*pathology/physiopathology

Recently, we treated a patient with pulmonary vein sarcoma. The patient was a 41-year-old woman, had cough, short of breath and apsychia, with obvious jugular venous distention, rales in both lungs and a diastolic murmur at the apex. CT and Echo revealed a tumor in the left atrium. She received an emergency surgery to remove the mass in the heart. The pathological diagnosis demonstrated it as leiomyosarcoma. Though the patient accepted radiotherapy and chemotherapy, she still died of recurrence and metastasis of the sarcoma 10 months after operation.
Adult ; Fatal Outcome ; Female ; Humans ; Pulmonary Veins ; pathology ; surgery ; Sarcoma ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; surgery ; Vascular Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; surgery

Atrial Fibrillation ; surgery ; Catheter Ablation ; adverse effects ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Pleural Effusion ; pathology ; Postoperative Complications ; Pulmonary Veins ; surgery

BACKGROUNDSurgical resection remains the treatment of choice for pulmonary arteriovenous malformation but removes some normal lung parenchyma. This study aimed to evaluate the effect and safety of the lung-saving procedure of fistulectomy as an alternative to lung resection.

METHODSFrom July 2003 to July 2008, 6 selected patients with pulmonary arteriovenous malformations underwent fistulectomies. Among them, 1 patient underwent emergency operation and 2 underwent bilateral operations. One patient received postoperative embolotherapy.

RESULTSNo hospital deaths or postoperative morbidity occurred. PaO2 increased significantly after operation. All patients were free of symptoms and hypoxia during a follow-up for 9 months to 5 years.

CONCLUSIONSFistulectomy is a safe and effective procedure for patients with pulmonary arteriovenous malformation and may be an alternative to lung resection.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Arteriovenous Malformations ; pathology ; surgery ; Child ; Female ; Fistula ; surgery ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pneumonectomy ; Pulmonary Artery ; abnormalities ; Pulmonary Veins ; abnormalities