Total anomalous pulmonary venous return in the fourth decade

Most patients with total abnormal venous connection (TAPVC) have no symptoms at birth, yet the majority die within the first year of life if surgical repair is not implemented. TAPVC is usually suspected in the neonatal period, and without surgical repair prolonged survival is quite exceptional. This kind of abnormality can be a real challenge for a non-pediatrics cardiologist today and can be easily misdiagnosed as a large secundum atrial septal defect if there is no sufficient suspicion of TAPVC. Therefore, a case of a 40-year-old female patient referred to our clinic with increasing shortness of breath is of great interest, as this patient was diagnosed with TAPVC. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.