COR-TRIATRIATUM-SINISTRUM - VALUE OF PULM ONARY VENOUS FLOW MEASUREMENT FOR HEMODYNAMIC EVALUATION

We report on two patients (a 52-year-old female and a 32-year-old male ) with cor triatriatum sinistrum, both clinically inconspicuous. The f ormer had undergone strenuous athletic training without difficulty for eight years of her youth. In both cases, cor triatriatum sinistrum wa s found by chance during transthoracic echocardiography undertaken for hypertension. The exact insertion-site of the left atrial membrane on ly became apparent by using biplane transoesophageal echocardiography. Neither of the patients showed associated cardiac malformation. Hemod ynamics were evaluated by pulsed waved Doppler analysis of pulmonary v enous flow profile; no signs of inflow obliteration into the left atri um were found in either case.