Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Drainage From the Entire Left Lung Without Cardiac Malformations

Although incomplete anomalous drainage of the pulmonary venous system frequently is encoutered in patients with congenital heart disease, most often this malformation is confined to the right superior pulmonary vein which directly enters the right atrium. There are, however, occasional patients in whom anomalous pulmonary veins from the right lung terminate in the venae cavae or their tributaries. Least often observed is an abnormal connection from the left lung which usually drains blood from the upper field of the left lung into an extracardiac venous channel.¹ Of additional importance is that anomalous pulmonary venous connections, regardless of their anatomical pattern, almost invariably are associated with a defect in the atrial septum.^1,2 Further, although it is not generally appreciated, major cardiac malformations in addition to atrial-septal defects, frequently occur with anomalous pulmonary venous pathways on the left side.^3,4 This communication describes an adult patient with anomalous venous