An Incidental Discovery of Supracardiac Left-sided Partial Anomalous Pulmonary Connection and Dilation of the Azygos Vein Detected in Adulthood

Abstract

Introduction: Anomalous pulmonary venous connection is a rare congenital variant of the pulmonary veins drained into the right atrium. The left-side partial anomalous pulmonary connections are usually detected in adulthood and occasionally drain into the left brachiocephalic vein.

Case description: An asymptomatic 63-year-old woman with a known history of left carotid body paraganglioma was admitted to our institution to evaluate this tumor by computed tomography angiography of the neck and brain. As an incidental finding, CTA demonstrated a supracardiac partial anomalous pulmonary venous connection between the left upper pulmonary vein and the left innominate via the vertical vein. Additionally, dilation of the azygos vein was observed.

Conclusion: Supracardiac left-sided partial anomalous pulmonary venous connection is a rare vascular variant, usually asymptomatic and found incidentally in adults.

Keywords: Partial anomalous pulmonary venous connection; azigos vein; computed tomography angiography; left brachiocephalic vein; partial anomalous pulmonary venous return; pulmonary vein variant.