IDIOPATHIC RIGHT ATRIAL ENLARGEMENT IN CHILDHOOD

The case of a 6 1 2-year-old child with an isolated dilatation of the right atrium has been described. The patient was asymptomatic with normal auscultatory and electrocardiographic findings. An abnormal cardiac silhouette in a routine chest roentgenogram led to the diagnosis. Careful clinical and laboratory studies failed to show an associated cardiac anomaly of congenital or acquired origin. the angiocardiogram demonstrated a markedly dilated right atrium. Review of the literature suggests that idiopathic dilatation of the right atrium is a rare but definite clinical entity. A congenital origin of this condition has been suggested. While relatively benign, the potential hazards of arrhythmia and intraatrial thrombosis with embolization exist. © 1969.