PERSISTENT LEFT SUPERIOR VENA CAVA DRAINING THE PULMONARY VEINS

Persistent left superior vena cava draining the pulmonary veins.

Persistence of the left superior vena cava is not uncommon in children with congenital heart disease and is occasionally found in adults at thoracotomy. The anomalous vena cava usually carries venous blood from the upper part of the body to the right atrium via the coronary sinus and has little functional significance. In the four patients we describe, however, the left superior vena cava drain...

Persistent left superior vena cava draining into the left atrium.

A 40-year-old man was admitted with necrotising fasciitis of the right thigh. Further workup to evaluate for an infectious source revealed an incidental finding of persistent left superior vena cava via transesophageal echocardiography. This finding was confirmed by cardiac MRI. During his hospitalisation, he also developed altered mental status which was found to be secondary to systemic embol...

Persistent Left Superior Vena Cava

Persistent left superior vena cava

Persistent left superior vena cava (PLSVC) is the most common congenital malformation of thoracic venous return and is present in 0.3 to 0.5% of individuals in the general population. This heart specimen was dissected from a 35-year-old male cadaver whose cause of death was determined as non-cardiac. The heart was examined and we found a PLSVC draining into the coronary sinus. The right superio...

Cerebral abscess due to persistent left superior vena cava draining into the left atrium.

A 47-year-old woman with a history of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation presented with seizure. She noted progressive fatigue in the preceding 6 months. The week before admission, she had worsening headaches and increased irritability. On the day of admission, she developed an episode of grand-mal seizure. MRI of the brain revealed a round lesion in the left frontal lobe measuring 11 cm by 15 mm w...