Case Report
Sinus Venosus Atrial Septal Defect Complicated by
Eisenmenger Syndrome and the Role of Vasodilator Therapy
Amornpol Anuwatworn,
1
Maheedhar Gedela,
2
Edgard Bendaly,
3
Julia A. Prescott-Focht,
4
Jimmy Yee,
1
Richard Clark,
1
and Orvar Jonsson
1
1
Sanford Cardiovascular Institute, University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine, Sioux Falls, SD, USA
2
Department of Internal Medicine, University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine, Sioux Falls, SD, USA
3
Department of Pediatrics, University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine, Sioux Falls, SD, USA
4
Department of Radiology, University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine, Sioux Falls, SD, USA
Correspondence should be addressed to Maheedhar Gedela; maheedhargedela@gmail.com
Received 30 July 2016; Revised 20 September 2016; Accepted 16 October 2016
Academic Editor: Christopher S. Snyder
Copyright © 2016 Amornpol Anuwatworn et al. his is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution
License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Sinus venosus atrial septal defect is a rare congenital, interatrial communication defect at the junction of the right atrium and
the vena cava. It accounts for 5–10% of cases of all atrial septal defects. Due to the rare prevalence and anatomical complexity,
diagnosing sinus venous atrial septal defects poses clinical challenges which may delay diagnosis and treatment. Advanced cardiac
imaging studies are useful tools to diagnose this clinical entity and to delineate the anatomy and any associated communications.
Surgical correction of the anomaly is the primary treatment. We discuss a 43-year-old Hispanic female patient who presented
with dyspnea and hypoxia following a laparoscopic myomectomy. She had been diagnosed with peripartum cardiomyopathy nine
years ago at another hospital. Transesophageal echocardiography and computed tomographic angiography of the chest conirmed
a diagnosis of sinus venosus atrial septal defect. She was also found to have pulmonary arterial hypertension and Eisenmenger
syndrome. During a hemodynamic study, she responded to vasodilator and she was treated with Ambrisentan and Tadalail. Ater
six months, her symptoms improved and her pulmonary arterial hypertension decreased. We also observed progressive reversal of
the right-to-let shunt. his case illustrates the potential beneit of vasodilator therapy in reversing Eisenmenger physiology, which
may lead to surgical repair of the atrial septal defect as the primary treatment.
1. Introduction
Sinus venosus atrial septal defect (SVASD) is one of the major
categories of atrial septal defect (ASD). SVASD was irst
reported in 1858 and accounts for 5–10% of cases of ASD [1, 2].
It usually coexists with partial anomalous pulmonary venous
return (PAPVR), which leads to additional let-to-right shun-
ting. SVASD is generally unrecognized until the ith decade
of life when it presents as right heart failure and/or pul-
monary hypertension [3]. SVASDs are usually located near
the superior or inferior vena cava entry into the right atrium.
his interatrial communication leads to volume overload,
right-sided chamber dilation, and ultimately pulmonary
hypertension [1, 3]. In this paper, we present a case of
pulmonary artery hypertension and Eisenmenger syndrome
due to a superior form of SVASD. We will also discuss the
beneicial role of vasodilator therapy in reversing the right-
to-let shunt, which may stabilize a patient for future surgery.
2. Case Report
A 43-year-old Hispanic woman was transferred to our faci-
lity with hypoxia following laparoscopic hysteroscopy and
myomectomy. She reported experiencing exertional dysp-
nea for four years. She also disclosed a history of car-
diomegaly that was discovered on both a chest X-ray and
through transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) nine years
ago at another hospital, and she had been treated for
postpartum cardiomyopathy. Physical examination revealed
the following: heart rate, 90 beats/minute; blood pressure,
126/85 mmHg; respiratory rate, 24 breaths/minute; and oxy-
gen saturation, 88% on 15 liters of oxygen by nasal cannula.
Hindawi Publishing Corporation
Case Reports in Cardiology
Volume 2016, Article ID 8164923, 5 pages
http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/8164923