Blalock-Taussig shunt to a pulmonary vein: an unusual surgical complication.

Thickening of the wall of pulmonary veins in cyanotic congenital heart disease and the presence of hilar vessel anatomic variants may mislead a surgeon into incorrectly anastomosing the subclavian artery to the pulmonary vein when performing a Blalock-Taussig shunt. Emergency selective angiography is the study of choice for the identification of this operative complication.