(rollover to compare with normal)
||What Is It?
In this rare defect, one or more of the pulmonary veins carries blood from the lung to the right side of the heart, rather than to the left atrium (LA) as in the normal heart.
The anomalous (abnormal) pulmonary vein or veins may be connected directly to the right atrium (RA). They may also be connected to one of the veins that carry oxygen-poor blood from the body to the right atrium, such as the inferior (IVC) or superior vena cava (SVC) (as shown in the diagram). There are many variations of this anomaly, which occurs in boys and girls with equal frequency.
Diagram At Left:
RUPV - right upper pulmonary vein
RLPV - right lower pulmonary vein
LUPV - left upper pulmonary vein
LLPV - left lower pulmonary vein
SVC - superior vena cava