Rare combination of bilateral divided atrial chambers and pulmonary vein stenosis with review of the literature

Cor Triatriatum: A Tale of Two Membranes

•

Cor triatriatum is a rare congenital abnormality with two forms, sinister and dexter.

•

Five cases in which both types are present in the same patient have been published.

•

A neonate with bilateral cor triatriatum and hypoxemia presented a diagnostic dilemma.

A 14-Year-Old Boy with Unusual Presentation of Respiratory Distress

There are multiple cardiac etiologies for wheezing and respiratory distress which require a high degree of suspicion for the pediatrician to diagnose. We present a case of a patient with a history of long-standing mild persistent asthma with minimal improvement on controller and bronchodilator therapies who presented to the emergency room with acute respiratory distress. When he demonstrated a lack of improvement with traditional respiratory therapies, additional etiologies of respiratory distress were considered. Ultimately an echocardiogram was performed, which revealed the diagnosis of cor triatriatum. He underwent surgical resection of his accessory membrane and has had no additional symptoms of asthma since repair.

Pulmonary Vein Stenosis in a Newborn: A Commonly Overlooked Diagnosis

The diagnosis of primary pulmonary vein stenosis is often overlooked because its symptoms overlap lung diseases and pulmonary arterial hypertension. Its diagnosis may be difficult because the condition is progressive and associated with other defects. We present a case of pulmonary vein stenosis in a newborn with stenosis of the left-sided common pulmonary vein, diffuse hypoplasia of the superior right pulmonary vein, and atresia of the inferior right pulmonary vein.