Lutembacher syndrome in a middle‐aged woman in Ghana with an extremely large atrial septal defect

Abstract

Lutembacher syndrome (LS) is a rare heart disorder characterized by a congenital or acquired combination of the atrial septal defect (ASD) and mitral stenosis. In LS, patients may be asymptomatic for years, but early detection and treatment result in a better prognosis. In contrast, the prognosis is usually poor, with conservative treatment if the diagnosis is late and the patient develops heart failure and pulmonary hypertension. Although rheumatic heart disease (RHD) and congenital heart disease are prevalent in Ghana, cases of LS are not reported. Here, we report the case of a 45‐year‐old woman with rheumatic mitral valve stenosis and an exceptionally large ASD with bidirectional flow who was diagnosed with LS and treated conservatively for heart failure at a cardiology clinic in Ghana.