Published in:
Open Access 01-12-2022 | Computed Tomography | Case report
Vascular anomaly diagnosis by central venous catheter misplacement: a case report
Published in: Journal of Medical Case Reports | Issue 1/2022
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Background
Congenital heart diseases rarely have a primary manifestation in adulthood. They are a rare cause of pulmonary hypertension in adults.
Case presentation
A 70-year-old woman of Eurasian descent underwent emergency surgery for bowel ischemia. Her history of mild pulmonary hypertension likely correlates with a peculiar diagnosis of an anatomic anomaly on the postoperative x-ray and computed tomography scan. The central venous catheter was misplaced. Initial management consisted of removal of the catheter. The diagnosis, partial anomalous pulmonary venous return, may pose a clinical therapeutic dilemma.
Conclusions
Partial anomalous pulmonary venous return is a potentially treatable cause of pulmonary hypertension. With the current trend toward more medical imaging, we expect this diagnosis to be made more often in the future.