[The scimitar syndrome: abnormal venous drainage of the hypoplastic right lung into the inferior vena cava in dextroposition of the heart].

Report on a 28-year-old female patient with classic "scimitar syndrome" (dextroposition of the heart, hypoplasia of the right lung and pulmonary veins opening into the inferior vena cava). The condition was diagnosed on the basis of chest X-ray findings in which the most striking feature was the scimitar-like course of the right pulmonary veins which gives the syndrome its name. The diagnosis was confirmed and the shunt volume determined by cardiac catheterization. Since in this case there were no additional deformities such as atrial septum defect, ventricular septum defect or patent ductus botalli and the shunt volume was small, surgical correction was not required.