Distinctive Mediastinal Appearance in Chest Radiograph of a Patient with Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Connection

TL;DR: This case of a 22-month-old boy who presented to the Emergency department with a history of intermittent fever and cough, initially diagnosed as pneumonia presents the “snowman” or “figure-of-eight” appearance characteristic of TAPVC, and the patient’s chest radiograph is suggestive of a well-defined, smooth and linear vascular shadow.

Abstract: Despite technological advancements, diagnosis of total anomalous pulmonary venous connection (TAPVC) can be challenging in neonates and infants, particularly in asymptomatic cases. We report a case of a 22-month-old boy who presented to the Emergency department with a history of intermittent fever and cough, initially diagnosed as pneumonia. The presence of an enlarged mediastinal mass was noted in a chest radiograph and was interpreted as a potential malignancy. However, the presence of a supracardiac type of TAPVC with significant right-sided cardiac dilation and a large unobstructed ascending vertical vein was confirmed by echocardiogram. Elective and uneventful surgical correction was performed with subsequent follow-up to confirm cardiac stability and normalization. This case presents the “snowman” or “figure-of-eight” appearance characteristic of TAPVC. Moreover, our patient’s chest radiograph is suggestive of a well-defined, smooth and linear vascular shadow with the presence of a normal lung parenchyma along with increased pulmonary vascularity indicating a left-sided vertical vein in keeping with the supracardiac type of TAPVC. Not commonly reported in previous literature, these unique radiographic findings may hold significant value for pediatricians and imaging specialists as a diagnostic tool for the supracardiac variant of this congenital pathology