PREOPERATIVE GADOLINIUM-ENHANCED MAGNETIC-RESONANCE PULMONARY VENOGRAPHY IN AN ADOLESCENT WITH ATRIAL SEPTAL-DEFECT

The conventional preoperative evaluation of congenital heart disease i n the adult using only echocardiography and cardiac catheterization is frequently limited. We report a case in which newer magnetic resonanc e imaging with gadolinium angiographic techniques proved helpful by co nclusively documenting normal pulmonary venous return in a patient wit h unilateral atrial septal defect. This evaluation obviated the need f or referral to a more specialized tertiary-care center for congenital heart disease and dramatized the value of an interdisciplinary approac h to the adult patient with nearly diagnosed congenital heart disease.