Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Return (APVR) occurs when there is drainage of one or more pulmonary veins outside the left atrium. APVR is frequent in patients with congenital heart disease and/or heterotaxy.The presentation may range from incidental to conditions that may be lethal very early in life, if untreated. Diagnosis can be difficult or, even missed and made in adulthood with late presentation of clinical symptoms. On these grounds, early and accurate diagnosis of the morphology and type of APVR is of paramount importance for the...

The front line in the diagnosis of abnormalities of pulmonary veins is echocardiography. However, due to limited acoustic windows, further studies are needed. Until recently, catheterisation was thought as the gold standard as both anatomical and functional information could be provided. However, the total examination and exposure time as well as the interventional nature of the method together with the recent technological advances of the MR and CT systems, have led to almost complete replacement of catheterization by non-invasive imaging methods. In our institution, a...

During the last twelve months 11 patients were detected with some kind of anomalous pulmonary venous return and associated anomalies. The most interesting of these cases are illustrated at the sidebar Figures 7 - 12

Anomalous pulmonary venous return account for up to 2% - 3% of all congenital heart disease. A wide spectrum of anomalies exist and can be presented with various symptoms - from cases incompatible with life to mild conditions detected later in life. Nowadays, even serious anomalies can be surgically repaired. Therefore, a thorough investigation of the entity before surgery is crucial. Although echocardiography is an initial examination when CHD is suspected, there are always areas not well investigated and questions unanswered. MR and CT offer...

All authors are staff at the ONASSIS CARDIAC CENTRE in Athens, Greece. THE RADIOLOGY TEAM I. Mastorakou MD, MSc, DPhil (Oxford), EBCR S. Katsilouli MD, EBCR O. Karapanagiotou MD S. Kampanarou MD, EBCR T. Syrigou Senior Radiographer THE SURGEONS N.Giannopoulos MD, PhD D. Bobos MD M. Kanakis MD, PhD, FRCS

GENERAL READING Lyen S et al : Anomalous pulmonary venous drainage: a pictorial essay with a CT focus - Journal of congenital Cardiology (2017); 1:7 Vyas HV, Greenberg SB, Krishnamurthy R : MR imaging and CT evaluation of Congenital Pulmonary Vein Abnormalities in Neonates and Infants - Radiographics (2012); 32:87-98 Dillman JR, Yarram SG, Hernadez RJ : Imaging of Pulmonary developmental Anomalies - AJR (2009); 192: 1272-1285