CASE REPORT

Right ventricular diastolic dysfunction and patent foramen ovale causing profound cyanosis

H Shnaider¹, A Shiran¹, A Lorber²

¹ Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Lady Davis Medical Center, Carmel Hospital, Haifa, Israel
² Pediatric Cardiology Unit, Meyer Children’s Hospital, Rambam Medical Center, Haifa, Israel

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr A Lorber
Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Meyer Children’s Hospital, Rambam Medical Center, PO Box 9602, Haifa 31096, Israel; a_lorber{at}rambam.health.gov.il

A 73 year old woman presented with profound central cyanosis and a history of a minor stroke. She had normal heart morphology, normal pulmonary artery pressure, and a normal coronary angiography. A patent foramen ovale (PFO) with a massive right to left shunt was demonstrated at the atrial level, with normal pulmonary venous saturations and PO₂ values. This rare, age related case of right ventricular diastolic dysfunction in a normotensive patient revealed a generous PFO allowing a pronounced right to left shunt.

Keywords: patent foramen ovale; right ventricular diastolic dysfunction; cyanosis; right to left shunt

Abbreviations: ASD, atrial septal defect; LV, left ventricular; PFO, patent foramen ovale; RV, right ventricular

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