All patients with PAVs were collected; those with interrupted and uninterrupted IVCs were assigned to groups 1 and 2. Normal controls were assigned to group 3.
Among 15,849 patients from January 1, 2001, to March 31, 2008, 55 (0.3 % ) had PAVs, 42 (76 % ) in group 1 and 13 (24 % ) in group 2. Heterotaxy was prominent in group 1, whereas patients in group 2 had no heterotaxy. Patients in group 2 had more structurally normal hearts than those in group 1 (46 % vs 14 % , P?< .01), partial anomalous pulmonary venous return, and one single ventricle. IVC measurements were the same in groups 2 and 3 (P = .65).
This study demonstrates that a PAV without IVC interruption is not associated with heterotaxy. Patients with PAVs should be carefully examined for partial anomalous pulmonary venous return.